Before it was the Branding Iron
The place started out as Scotty’s Inn, then Pop’s Cafe: a landmark for travelers on old Highway 99E, the road that is now Pacific Boulevard.
Pop Uken was well known as a breeder of race horses. When the horses weren’t running, you could find him at the end of the counter, always ready to spin a yarn about racing. The walls were covered with pictures of horses and ribbons from past wins. Next door stood Albany’s largest plywood mill, the city’s biggest payroll, until it burned in the late 1950s.
1964: the family buys Pop’s
Harold and Dolores Heuvel bought Pop’s Cafe in 1964. They kept Pop’s name, because everyone already knew it, and made it Pop’s Branding Iron. In 1966 the log-cabin building went up on the same spot, with seating for 100, a banquet room for 70 and the Lariat Saloon.
Harold wanted it to be a “muddy shoe” restaurant: come as you are, and leave full. Since he passed in 2003, his daughters Debbie McTimmonds and Susan Holman have kept it that way.
“If you want a BIG meal, home-cooked, at an affordable price, head to Pop’s Branding Iron.”
“Their chicken fried steaks and omelettes are enormous!”
