My dad used to bring me here when I was a kid…

That’s something we love hearing at the Café. In 1934, Earl and Dorothy Cummins started the business we now know as Clay’s Café. Cummins Ice Cream was a local staple. Folks from far and wide would bring in their young ones for a treat after a trip to Buckeye Lake Park or after a scenic drive down historic Route 40.

In 1979, the Cummins family sold the business to the Clay family. Sherman and Evelyn named it County Fair Foods. In 1997, their youngest daughter, Glenna, and her husband, Mark took over the operation. They wanted to tie the history of Route 40 into the name of the Restaurant. Henry Clay was the senator responsible for obtaining the funding for the National Road, and being that Glenna’s maiden name is Clay, it seemed only fitting that they name the family restaurant Clay’s Café.

Today, people come back to carry on the tradition that their parents began back in the day by bringing their families in for a yummy treat. Be a part of history and carry on the tradition!

For an in depth history of Cummins Ice Cream, read here.