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The Filling Station 'thrilled to be a part of the St. Charles landscape'
ST. CHARLES – The Filling Station Pub & Grill doesn’t make its Hot Cheesy Stripper in an Easy-Bake Oven, but its long history can be traced to that toy and its incandescent light bulb heating element.
![[Owner Peter Milligan carries an order to a table at Filling Station Pub & Grill in St. Charles. The St. Charles restaurant and pub is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.]
The popular eatery in downtown St. Charles is celebrating 30 years.
“My brother [Casey] liked playing with our sister’s Easy-Bake Oven,” said Peter Milligan, owner of The Filling Station. “When he was old enough, he started making breakfast for my mom and then he started working in restaurants when he was 14.”
Casey Milligan eventually moved to Texas to pursue his cooking passion and really got involved in Tex-Mex, the fusion of American and Mexican cuisines. After several years in Texas, he brought back his ideas to St. Charles and opened The Filling Station.](14a51719-fc9d-47f4-9026-d73f0114ae92/image-pv_web.jpg)
[Owner Peter Milligan carries an order to a table at Filling Station Pub & Grill in St. Charles. The St. Charles restaurant and pub is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.]
The popular eatery in downtown St. Charles is celebrating 30 years.
“My brother [Casey] liked playing with our sister’s Easy-Bake Oven,” said Peter Milligan, owner of The Filling Station. “When he was old enough, he started making breakfast for my mom and then he started working in restaurants when he was 14.”
Casey Milligan eventually moved to Texas to pursue his cooking passion and really got involved in Tex-Mex, the fusion of American and Mexican cuisines. After several years in Texas, he brought back his ideas to St. Charles and opened The Filling Station.
[Pam Deethardt of Afternoon Logic sings with diners Brenda and Bill Duhayda of Sugar Grove April 5 at Filling Station Pub & Grill in St. Charles.]
“He actually had been a finalist in the Mike Royko Ribfest for three years in a row and was also in a Kingsford Charcoal commercial that was televised for two or three years,” Peter Milligan said. “But he was really itching to start his own restaurant and that’s what he did when he found a spot in St. Charles.”
When The Filling Station opened in 1988 it didn’t have a wait staff, liquor license, beer garden or even a dishwasher. Patrons placed their order and their sandwich was handed back to them wrapped in deli paper on a paper plate.
“I had been in the [military] service and started helping out, and we were looking to expand,” Peter Milligan said. “We built that wall out front and put in the patio and got a full liquor license and actually brought in kitchen equipment.”
The eatery’s name comes from being the home of a former Texaco gas station.
“The Filling Station Antique Eatery was the original name,” he said. “The original idea was that you could come in and sit down and if you liked the table you were sitting at, you could buy it. That didn’t last long. I don’t think it ever started actually, but there were big antique shops all over the place then and there still is.”
To commemorate 30 years, the entire month of May is jam-packed with specials, including pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches, a variation on the restaurant’s popular onion loaf and 22-ounce Bud Lights for $3 each.
[Nice weather helps fill the outdoor seating area at Filling Station Pub & Grill in St. Charles.]
“We’ve got some other items and drink specials, and we’re going to have a live remote, live music and lots of tastings,” he said. “There’s going to be a month-long raffle with some nice prizes to win. All the dates and times will be posted on our Facebook page.”
Not all restaurants make it, but The Filling Station keeps offering delicious soups, salads, sandwiches, steaks and more that continue to attract hungry and thirsty customers.
“I think we have good food and a lot of it and it’s all made from scratch using a lot of my brother’s recipes from back in the day,” he said. “Our barbecue sauce is from scratch and it’s unique. You won’t taste another in the world like it.”
A loaded menu might make it difficult for patrons to choose, but that’s a good so-called problem to have.
“Our burgers are top-of-the-line and a really big seller, but there’s a lot of popular choices,” he said. “And everything is made fresh daily with the finest ingredients.”
And it’s made with love.
“Some people don’t think it helps, but my brother and I care about each other and care about the people who come in here,” he said. “And we’ve been lucky with our workers who have come through here over the years. They’ve really been a key to our success.”
So what’s next for The Filling Station?
“We’ll hopefully keeping pumping out great good for another 30 years,” he said. “We’re evolving and constantly changing the menu and we’re going to start taking orders online for carryout. We are really thrilled to still be a part of the downtown St. Charles landscape and we appreciate the continued support of the community.”