Popular Southern Illinois restaurant is closing after 34 years

No one will miss Pioneer’s Cabin more than Justin and Charlene Simon.

They saved the Percy restaurant nearly two years ago when the original owners decided to retire, according to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page. The community rejoiced then, but now the Simon family is saying farewell.

In a Facebook message posted Thursday, the family announced plans to close the restaurant permanently. The rustic building is also for sale.

The Simons took over after Dan and Mary Valerius retired two years ago. The popular Percy restaurant opened in 1983 and became known for its family-style meals, rustic vibe and flower pot bread.

The family is keeping the name with plans to open another Pioneer’s Cabin in a new location. Cabin salad dressing, strawberry butter and a cookbook will be available online in the future.

“It made our hearts full to keep The Cabin open and to be host to others creating memories just like we had throughout our lives,” the message said. “And really, it felt so good to invest in and give back to the area where we grew up.”

Hundreds of comments poured in online in response to the closure.

JamiJo Seibert grew up going to the cabin with her grandparents. In an online tribute, she shared her fondest memories of them at the restaurant.

“I’d love to sit across a table from them both eating fried chicken and chicken and dumplings with sweet tea in a mason jar,” Siebert wrote. “(You) truly never ever know how much you will ache for those once simple every day occurrences.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Popular Southern Illinois restaurant is closing after 34 years."