WHITEHALL, Mich. - Going strong for 35 years now is a restaurant that's quite the hidden gem in Whitehall but social media is starting to put them on the map. Although regulars say the restaurant still feels like home, or a tropical oasis, depending on where you choose to sit. We're talking about Pekadill's, it's this week's Taste of My Town.
Imagine dining outside in a lush oasis, hidden at the back of a sandwich shop. "We work really hard planting the new plants and it's just amazing the transformation that takes place," said John Dillivan.
"It's kind of a nice oasis back here. It's very secluded. We work very hard to make everything look nice and we try to keep it nice and it's a special place," said Sue Dillivan.
"It's been there for a long time and they've always improved upon it. Every year they seem to add to it with different flowers and whatnot. It's like home," said a diner.
Pekadill's in Whitehall is celebrating 35 years of business. "In 1983 it became Pekadill's and that was started by Pete, Kathy and their dog Dillan. That's how the name Pekadill's came to be," said current owner John Dillivan.
"This place is great. I've been coming here for twenty years," said a diner.
They specialize in sandwiches, soups, salads, and ice cream. "The soups are wonderful and the sandwiches, they have a wide variety. Wonderful salads," said another diner.
"When we bought it there were 27 sandwiches and now we're up over 40 so we just keep adding to it just to keep things fresh and fun," said John Dillivan.
One of the diner favorites is named in honor of the creator Sue. Tt's called the "Sueben" and she showed us how it comes together.
The summer season brings special cookouts on the weekends. "Our weekend cook-outs in the summer are really popular. We started doing ribs and chicken every Friday and Saturday from memorial weekend all the way to labor day weekend. People can bring a bottle of wine or beer if they want and it's just a nice relaxing atmosphere and that's been really popular," said John Dillivan.
The garden space is a place where all members of the family are welcome. "We are pet-friendly here at Pekadill's. We encourage people to bring pets, they just have to be on a leash," explained Sue Dillivan.
Catering has become a large part of the business too. "Anything from showers, open houses, family reunions, golf outings, weddings, lots of different kinds of events. We do small events for thirty to fifty people up to two-thousand people. We can do various sizes, lots of different venues, the most popular being the ribs and chicken but there's a lot of different things we do like pig roasts and of course the salads and sandwiches, we do that too. Lots of different choices for catering and it's a big part of our business. It's really grown over the last several years," said Sue.
"Pekadill's is a great spot. Whitehall is a good spot to be," said another diner.
Pekadill's is open seven days a week and have daily specials.
Follow them on social media for more information about their 35th anniversary plans this summer.
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