Laughner's Cafeteria facts for kids

Laughner's Cafeteria was a well-known chain of restaurants. It was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. These restaurants served food in a "cafeteria style." This means you would pick up your food from a line, like in a school lunchroom.

A Long Family History in Food

The story of Laughner's Cafeteria began a very long time ago, in 1888. A man named William Jonathon Wesley Laughner, often called Jonathon, opened a sweet shop with a partner. It was called Laughner & Perry Confectionary.

A few years later, in 1892, Jonathon bought out his partner. Then, in 1900, he opened a new place called Laughner's Dairy Lunch. This was also in Indianapolis. Jonathon's brothers, George, Ora, and Elmer, also joined the family food business.

Jonathon and his son, Claude, worked together on a restaurant. Claude's five children later joined the business too! In 1920, Claude brought in the idea of a cafeteria-style restaurant. This was a new way for people to get their meals quickly. Claude's sons, Charles, Lloyd, and Richard, later formed a company called Laughner Brothers. Interestingly, a cousin helped start a competing cafeteria chain called MCL Cafeterias.

Trying New Restaurant Ideas

The Laughner Brothers tried to open different types of restaurants. They even tried to get into the fast food business. They opened two drive-in restaurants. One of these was called Laughner's Steer-In. However, these fast food attempts were not very successful.

Besides their main Laughner's Cafeterias, they opened other places. In 1971, they started the Dutch Oven. This was a pie shop and cafe. In 1978, they opened Jonathon's Restaurant and Pub. This was a full-service restaurant. They also had places called The Oven and Classic U.S. Foods.

The End of an Era

In the 1980s, cafeteria-style restaurants started to become less popular. Laughner's Cafeterias felt this change. They began closing their restaurants that were further away from Indianapolis. Slowly, they only had locations left in Indianapolis.

The very last Laughner's cafeteria closed its doors in the year 2000. This marked the end of a long journey. The Laughner family had been involved in the company for 112 years. Four generations of the family had worked in the business.

Loon Lake Lodge: A New Chapter

Charles "Chip" Laughner, Jr. was the last CEO of Laughner's. In 1998, he decided to change one of the newer Laughner's Cafeterias. He turned it into a brand new restaurant concept called Loon Lake Lodge.

This new restaurant was in Castleton, Indiana. It was in a busy area. The restaurant had a lodge theme, like a cozy cabin in the wilderness. It served traditional American food, but with some interesting twists! You could find unique dishes like rattlesnake, pheasant, elk, and venison on the menu.

This new venture became a separate family-owned company. It was called Laughner Investments and was led by Chip.

However, in the summer of 2010, the Laughner family closed Loon Lake Lodge. This wilderness-themed restaurant was the last of their businesses. It marked the end of 122 years of the Laughner family being in the restaurant business in Indiana. The family said that sales were going down and there were health problems, which led to the closing.