It was opened on a 12-acre plot that Jack Peabody owned across U.S. Route 66/Joliet Road from his 450-acre Lemont horse farm, where thoroughbred racehorses were bred, boarded and trained.

[1] The story was that Jack Peabody often had weekend guests at his horse farm, but there was no restaurant in the area where he could entertain them – so he started one himself.

The roadside restaurant, which opened in a converted farmhouse, was known then for its hamburger sandwiches and Guernsey milk products, including ice cream.

Family legend has it that Bob Hastert Sr. settled on the purchase price for the restaurant property with the previous owner, an acquaintance who had gone bankrupt, by using the flip of a coin.

[1][3] White Fence Farm bills itself as having "the world's greatest fried chicken," which is pressure cooked and refrigerated in bulk before being individually flash-fried to order.

[6] White Fence Farm operates several satellite carry-out locations throughout southwest suburban Chicago, an enterprise that was begun by Bob Hastert Jr.[1]