When Dustin Maquet told his friends he wanted to open a craft beer pub in Pekin, “they thought I was nuts.” After all, he already had a successful career at Caterpillar. Even more unlikely, he wanted to put his pub in a long-neglected, century-old building about a block from the Tazewell County Courthouse.

Those friends aren’t questioning the soundness of Dustin’s mind anymore. After just over 10 years, Maquet’s Rail House, 221 Court Street, is a shining star among many bright spots in a downtown business landscape enjoying a bit of a renaissance.

“I always knew I wanted to be self-employed,” Dustin said. “I just wasn’t sure what it would look like.”

Today, that dream looks like nearly 5,000 sq. ft. of space in three adjacent buildings near the west end of Court Street in a sparsely occupied block between North 2nd Street and North 3rd Street. Built around 1890, the building’s interior features original tin tile ceilings and exposed brick walls accented by bright signs and eclectic decorations, railroad antiques and memorabilia, and numerous big screen TVs showing all manner of sports.

Behind the 50 ft. bar are two tap arrays dispense ten brews each (one of the newest, Yuengling, “has been going crazy”), with an even wider selection of bottled beers, ciders, and seltzers. Expert mixologists create a wide array of libations with the area’s widest selection of premium bourbon, tequila and spirits. One original favorite — known simply as The House Drink — is concocted of grapefruit soda, vodka, and muddled lemon and lime, and served in a pint glass. 

The Rail House menu stands as one of the most original and varied among Pekin eating establishments. The foundation is built on burgers: smash burgers featuring two quarter-pound patties served on a buttered brioche bun, with everything from pepper jack cheese, BBQ sauce, bacon and haystack onion rings (that’s the Rail House Burger) to white and yellow American cheese, portabella mushrooms, onions, jalapenos, feta cheese and other fresh ingredients. Traditional thick burgers are also available, as is a Turkey Burger (from Beecham’s Market in Tremont) and a plant-based Impossible Burger.

Diners can also choose giant, hand-made tenderloins, sandwiches and wraps, a horse shoe or pony shoe, and appetizers like hummus, giant soft pretzel bites, cheese curds, fried green beans, and sweet corn nuggets. The fried mushrooms are a customer favorite. 

Everything is made to order.

“I’m a foodie myself,” said Dustin. “A lot of the things we come up with are familiar favorites with our own twist.” He likes to change things up so regular patrons always have new choices for lunch and dinner. Items are swapped on and off the menu every few months.

Signature Pizzas are another house specialty. This is not just any old bar pizza. Oh no, this is made-from-scratch brick oven pizza baked to perfection in an oven custom designed and shipped to Pekin from Naples, Italy. Pizza aficionados can choose fresh ingredients on Signature Pizzas like the Margherita, Roundhouse (cheese, sausage, red onions, peppadews — a sweet and slightly spicey pepper from South Africa — fresh parmesan and Mike’s Hot Honey), Meatball pizza, Quattro Formaggi (four cheeses), Buffalo Chicken and Mediterranean. You can also build your own, or take a different approach with a calzone, stromboli, or dessert pizza. 

Dustin is quick to point out that the Rail House menu, drinks, and beer offerings are all built around what customers have said they want in a local eatery.

“It’s not about what I want,” he said. “You have to listen to the people in this town and give them what they want.”

He should know how it works. Dustin grew up in Pekin and attended Bradley University, where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in entrepreneurship. That academic focus made sense at the time because he had grown up around entrepreneurial family members and knew eventually he would one day work for himself. But he went to work for Caterpillar right out of college, always holding to the dream of one day striking out on his own.

After 17 years at Caterpillar, that day came in 2014.

“I thought I could keep my Cat job and do this as a side hustle, but it just got way too big and too busy real fast,” he said. At the end of 2015 it was time to leave Caterpillar and focus on the Rail House full time. Leaving a secure job was risky, but he said he has never looked back. The business doubled its floor space in 2019 and today employs around 57, 20 of which are full-time.

Though it was risky at the start, Dustin said the downtown Pekin location is a perfect fit with the welcoming, casual dining experience he is trying to create. He is proud to be a part of the downtown business scene.

“People are used to seeing us downtown, that’s how they know us,” he said. On some busy nights he said he looks around and estimates that up to 60 percent of the patrons do not live in Pekin. He said they draw diners from as far away as Canton, Lewistown, Washington, Morton, East Peoria, and Peoria.

“When you have that many people coming from out of town it means you’re becoming a destination,” he said. Maquet’s Rail House is also a favorite lunch destination for county workers and others who find themselves downtown at lunchtime. 

“The courthouse keeps this downtown alive,” he added. He believes his business and many others will grow even stronger once the new Tazewell County Justice Center annex is complete in 2027.

During the summer months, when the doors are open and patrons relax on the outdoor patio at the back of the building, Dustin said they often get a not-so-subtle reminder of where the establishment gets its name. Long coal trains rumble along tracks behind the restaurant and down North 3rd Street on their way to the Powerton electrical generating plant. The deafening roar of diesel engines and warning blasts from the locomotive are reminders of the city’s railroading legacy.

Dustin has raised two sons in Pekin and looks forward to continuing to add energy and variety to the Pekin business community. “I’ve had a really good time here,” he said.

Maquet’s Rail House is open Sunday through Thursday from 11am to 9pm, and 11am to 10pm on Friday and Saturday. The complete menu and online ordering are available at maquetsrailhouse.com. Daily specials are posted regularly on Facebook.