I called Dad on Thursday morning and invited him to lunch.

Usually we pick a Chinese restaurant.

But I had something different in mind and I broached the subject.

‘You know,’ I said. ‘I’ve been thinking of going to Mel’s Cafe. I just read that they’ve got a reprieve and they won’t have to move out until at least October.’

You see, their neighbor, O’Brien Steel, bought the property on which their restaurant sits, presumably for an expansion, plans for which they don’t want to talk about right now.
I was worried. I’ve tried to get Dad to stop at this location many, many times before. But under previous owners, the quality was not — shall we say — up to the rather forgiving and generous standards Dad and I have for locally owned joints like this.

But Dad said he was thinking the same thing. We both had read articles in the Journal Star about the business having taken a turn for the better under new owners.
Mel’s Cafe is located at 1420 NE Adams St., in the building most long-time residents remember as Clark’s Cafe. Clark’s is one of those places that everyone used to go to all the time, but wondered what happened to it when it closed. I don’t think I’ve been in the place in the previous 30 years.

To walk into the place today is to be reminded of the sort of joint that exists in almost every small-town I’ve ever lived in or visited. There’s a bar with stools where lone diners can saddle up to and order the special of the day and read the newspaper. There are tables lining the walls, and a few up next to the window that looks out onto Adams Street.

The place is clean, spotlessly clean. The walls are peppered with occasional decorations and memorabilia. And not the fake memorabilia that corporate eateries order in bulk from overseas.

Our waitress was Cindy, and she did a fine job keeping customers happy. Owners Mel and Kimmie Christianson were there, making sure things got done and occasionally chatted with customers.

And judging from the friendly banter, it is obvious the place has a loyal following. Dad and I chatted with Kimmie, who told me they are definitely looking for a new place, but want it to be close by, as most of their customers live nearby.

The food? Dad ordered two bowls of their homemade chicken noodle soup. I had the meatloaf special. The meatloaf was tender and loosely packed. This is important, because if it is too stiff, it hides the ingredients. The green beans were flavored with real bacon and the mashed potatoes were tasty and covered with gravy. And I swear, even their crackers were tastier than I had a right to expect.

We could have ordered any number of items off the menu, including a hearty breakfast, but I’m more of a lunch person, and Dad will order soup every chance he gets.

We were both very pleased.

Are there places that serve trendier fare? Sure. The menu at the nearby Goodness Cafe seems a bit more geared toward the upper middle class. It’s a great place to eat, to be sure.

But Mel’s is a working class joint, a place for people who work to get a quick, sit-down meal that will stick to their ribs. There used to be a joint or two like this in every neighborhood in Peoria. And we are the worse off because we don’t. I shudder at the thought of all that money spent in joints corporate-owned or corporate franchises leaving Peoria and into the pockets out out-of-towners.

But Peorians are sick and demented, in that they live in fear that the person serving them food isn’t some teenager in a uniform adorned with a dozen pieces of flair. It’s hard to believe, but people will drive right by Mel’s on their way to eat some greasy piece of flavored meat-like substance they ordered while sitting in the drive-thru line.

Small, locally-owned NON-corporate restaurants preserve neighborhoods. Soulless corporate restaurants destroy them.

But these are only a few of the reasons I’m glad I rediscovered this place.

I have a personal reason.

You see, Dad was in his element. He grew up in this neighborhood. On the way there and back, he would point out there this business used to be or where that family friend used to live. He and his friends used to play tackle football in a lot right across the street, and he would later have a part time job at the battery factory nearby. He chatted like this throughout lunch.

And he had a story for the Christiansons: he was there on the first day Clark’s opened for business. In fact, he was served the very first ice cream cone, he says.

It’s memories like this that brought him to Mel’s last week. Being able to connect to the old neighborhood keeps families in older neighborhoods.

I’m not going to oppose O’Brien Steel’s expansion. They own the property. They can do what they want, within the law. And God knows we need manufacturing jobs.

But I am going to ask people — potential customers of places like Mel’s — to think about this when they decide with whom to do business and where.