Four decades later, Candlelight Inn still keeping diners happy

BY ALTA MAYHUGHSVS REPORTER Bob and Jan Prescott's Candlelight Inn, famous for its Chicken George, is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Sterling location. The restaurant opened in downtown Sterling, moving to its present big red barn on North Locust Street in November 1989. The Prescotts opened another Candlelight Inn at 2200 First Ave. in Rock Falls in June 2004. Having a second restaurant made it more convenient for customers, who sometimes had to wait up to an hour to get a table at the popular restaurant, said their son Matt, who took over ownership of the business in 2000. His parents are only semi-retired, though - they often can be found in one of the two restaurants, chatting with customers and working. "The customer is your boss. You keep the customer happy, you have no problems," Bob Prescott said. That philosophy is the main reason the Candlelight has had four decades of success, he said. Their employees also have contributed to the restaurant's success, Jan Prescott said. "We've been very fortunate with wonderful employees, wonderful customers," she said. In 1967, when Bob Prescott, his guardians, Mildred and Lyman Prescott, and Chuck Sisson opened the restaurant at the corner of Avenue A and West Third Street, the specialty of the house was fried chicken. Now it's most famous for its Chicken George - battered chicken breast strips served with a choice of three sauces - Western, shrimp or Jan's special sauce, kind of a sweet-and-sour sauce she invented in 1971. The restaurant always has been family-oriented with several menu items named after family members. There's Bob's Ka-Bobs, and desserts named after Jan and Bob's grandchildren - Megan's Strawberry Shortcake, homemade with whipped cream, and Adam's Apple, a deep-fried flour tortilla dipped in cinnamon sugar, filled with ice cream and topped with honey.