MCL Restaurant & Bakery, formerly known as MCL Cafeterias, is a chain of American cafeteria-style restaurants based in Indianapolis. As of February 2024, the company operates 13 locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

Background

The company began with a single cafeteria in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1950, founded by Charles O. McGaughey and George Laughner. MCL is an abbreviation of their two names.^[1] Today, the chain operates locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. It is a privately owned company, now exclusively owned by the McGaughey family. In 2007, MCL Cafeterias changed the brand to "MCL Restaurant and Bakery", although no fundamental changes were made in production.^[2] MCL competed with Laughner's Cafeteria, which was founded by a cousin.