Our Story
A Family Tradition on Route 66
The story of Clanton’s Cafe begins in 1927, just one year after Route 66 was established. That year, Grant “Sweet Tater” Clanton opened the Busy Bee Cafe in Vinita, Oklahoma, beginning a family tradition that would span generations. The café eventually became Clanton’s, and in 1947, Cleve and Ma Clanton opened the restaurant at its present location along the Mother Road. From those early days, Clanton’s has been the kind of place where neighbors gather, travelers find a warm welcome, and a good meal is prepared with care. Through four generations of the Clanton family, that simple tradition of food, family, and hospitality has endured.
Today, Clanton’s is woven into the history of Route 66 itself. For generations, travelers making their way along America's most famous highway have pulled off the road in Vinita, taken a seat at the table, and enjoyed the same kind of home-cooked food that first made the café a local favorite. Recipes have been handed down, potatoes are still hand-peeled and cut, pies are made from scratch, and longtime favorites like chicken fried steak, calf fries, and chicken and dressing continue the tradition. After nearly a century of serving locals and travelers alike, Clanton’s is more than a place to stop for a meal—it is a place where Route 66 history is still being lived, one table and one traveler at a time.
A Little Café with a Big Reputation
Over the years, word about Clanton’s has traveled far beyond Vinita and Route 66. What began as a family café has earned national attention for the same home-style cooking that generations of locals have enjoyed. Gourmet Magazine featured Clanton’s chicken fried steak after columnist Michael Stern came through Vinita searching for the best chicken fried steak on Route 66. Southern Living named Clanton’s among its “Secrets of the South’s Best Diners” and its “Favorite Tasty 12,” and later recognized it for one of Oklahoma’s best chicken fried steaks. Clanton’s has also been featured or recognized by Garden & Gun, Paula Deen Magazine, Oklahoma publications, Route 66 writers and travel guides, along with countless bloggers and road-trip travelers who have shared the café’s story with audiences around the world.
Then came television. When Guy Fieri and Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives arrived at Clanton’s, millions of viewers were introduced to the food, family and unmistakable Oklahoma character behind this Route 66 landmark. The show featured Clanton’s chicken fried steak, chicken and dressing, and famous calf fries, and the restaurant has since appeared in two DDD episodes: Local Flavor and Amazing Appetizers. That national exposure has become another chapter in the Clanton’s story, bringing new generations of travelers through the doors to taste the food they first discovered on television—and to experience for themselves a restaurant that has become part of the story of Route 66.
