This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Where is the best place in Davis County to get breakfast?
Hint: pancakes the size of dinner plates and large fried scones that melt in your mouth.
Still not sure?
Many people in the area may answer Sill's Cafe. A Layton institution for years — something evident by large breakfast crowds and lines out the door — the cafe was forced to move in 2009 when the Utah Department of Transportation took the cafe and property for the new Layton Parkway interchange.
However, the new location, 335 East Gentile St., has not negatively impacted the cafe's clientele or quality of the home-style food served.
Golden C. and Genevieve Sill opened the original Sill's Cafe at 281 South Main St., Layton, in 1957. It mostly stayed in family hands through the years, and eventually was bought by John and Shelley Sill in 1992.
The menu has effectively stayed the same through the years, offering home-cooked food at affordable prices.
The cafe has seen the famous, the infamous, and the guy next door. "Doug Miller used to come in. Rulon Gardner, Olympic Gold Medal Winner and contestant on The Biggest Loser has been in," owner Shelley Sill said. "And Ultimate Fighter Court McGee, who went to Layton High School, comes in often and writes about us on his blog."
Sill says old-timers who remember Layton in the "old days" are the most treasured customers. "You can learn more from their stories and wisdom than you could ever imagine," she said.
Fifteen to 25 regular customers patronize the cafe every day. If a regular doesn't show up, an employee or another regular makes a phone call to find out if that person is okay.
Shelley Sill said her favorite meal is the chef salad and homemade dinner rolls. And John Sill's favorite is "whatever the cooks make by mistake. He likes it all."
Things haven't always been scones and biscuits for the Sills. "Our lowest point was when several employees opened a cafe with the same menu as ours, and it was pretty close by. They had been telling customers and other employees but not us, so it came as a huge surprise," said Shelley Sill. "They took about half of our customers and employees. At one point, we considered closing. But we stuck with it, and built our business back up from there. We are very glad we did not quit."
And the high point? "Every day John and I, and our great crew, know we have made this cafe successful. No one can say it is just the name or what anyone did in the past. This [success] is a result of loving our cafe, our employees, and our customers."