Laughner's Cafeteria was an

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

-based

cafeteria-style restaurant A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school ...

chain.

History

Laughner's Cafeterias roots trace to 1888 with the opening of Laughner & Perry Confectionary. It was a joint between William Jonathon Wesley Laughner (Jonathon) and William J. Perry. Laughner later bought out his partner in 1892, and in 1900 opened Laughner's Dairy Lunch, also in Indianapolis. Jonathon's brothers, George A., Ora and Elmer, all entered the business. Jonathon and his son Claude opened a restaurant together, and Claude's five children later joined the business. Claude introduced the

concept in 1920. His sons, Charles, Lloyd, and Richard, formed Laughner Brothers. A cousin was involved in the founding of rival

MCL Cafeterias MCL Restaurant & Bakery, formerly known as MCL Cafeterias, is a chain of American cafeteria-style restaurants based in Indianapolis. As of April 2024, the company operates 13 locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Background The company bega ...

Concepts

Laughner Brothers attempted to enter the

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

business with two different drive-ins, one of which was called Laughner'
Steer-In
but they were not successful. Besides the Laughner's Cafeterias, they opened the

Dutch Oven A Dutch oven, Dutch pot (US English), or casserole dish (international) is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron; however, some Dutch ovens are instead made of cast aluminium, or ...

in 1971, a pie shop and cafe, Jonathon's Restaurant and Pub, a full-service restaurant, in 1978, The Oven and Classic U.S. Foods.

Decline

Cafeteria-style restaurants began to decline in popularity in the 1980s, and Laughner's was hit by this decline. They began closing the out-lying restaurants and gradually retreated to Indianapolis. The last cafeteria closed in 2000. Over its 112-year history, four-decades of the Laughner family served in the company.

Loon Lake Lodge

Charles "Chip" Laughner, Jr, the last CEO of Laughner's, converted one of the newer Laughner's Cafeterias to a new concept, Loon Lake Lodge, in 1998. Located in

Castleton, Indiana Castleton is a neighborhood area in Lawrence and Washington townships on the northeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. After shortly over a century of being an independent town, the locality was included in Indianapolis as part of ...

in a high-traffic area, the lodge-themed restaurant served traditional American fare with twists. Rattlesnake and pheasant were on the menu, as well as elk and venison.Nature calls: Laughners open new Loon Lake Lodge concept , Nation's Restaurant News , Find Articles at BNET
This venture was spun off as a separate family-owned company, Laughner Investments, headed by Chip. In the summer of 2010 the Laughner family closed the Loon Lake Lodge, wilderness-themed restaurant, ending a 122-year run in the restaurant business for the Laughners in Indiana. The Laughners cited declining sales and health problems as the reason.

External links

Loon Lake LodgePhotos of Loon Lake Lodge

References