The Putnam Inn

I have eaten here several times and always find the food to be very good. There is a large variety to choose from.
Recently they catered appetizers for my daughter’s wedding reception. They were outstanding. They were by far the best variety and best tasting I had ever had. They were there to keep items filled, so we could just sit back and enjoy. Thank you Putnam Inn.

Dont let the good reviews fool you. This place is way ran down. From the nicotine stained ceiling to the ragged flooring this place looks like a dump. The food is all institutional food service foods, which means it all looks better than it tastes. All you can eat fresh from a can flavors, and meats that fall far short from being desirable. Most awful clam chowder that I have ever tasted, wont ever be back.

We stopped at the Putnam Inn on our way through town based on the good reviews here on Unilocal.However, we were sadly disappointed. It did not appear that much of anything was homemade and instead was mostly canned or packaged. I ordered the Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas, which were very oily and lacked any semblance of a chipotle flavor. Also, there were caraway seeds in them? Not sure what that was about. It was served with the world’s smallest portion of guacamole, maybe a tablespoon. My boyfriend ordered the ½ cheeseburger, which came on a hamburger bun no better than I could buy from the bread aisle at the grocery store.
Several other reviewers mentioned their appreciation for the ambiance, which seems to me like they’re grasping at straws. The look of the place is that of a restaurant you might see on a restaurant makeover show, and I am left wondering about the cleanliness of the food prep area based on the cleanliness of the dining room. The floor was sticky, the wood paneling is aged and tacky, and there were chairs strewn all over making it like a maze to get back to the restrooms (which were also not in great shape).
I am giving the experience 2 stars and not one solely because our waitress was nice enough and because I saw several other customers walking by with ice cream sundae concoctions from the buffet that looked pretty tasty.

Best fried chicken anywhere! Great selection of meats and sides on the buffet everyday. Salad bar is well stocked and fresh. Nice heavy fresh homemade rolls. Deserts for all tastes and soft serve ice cream with a great selection of toppings. Staff are friendly and atmosphere is family friendly

Home cooked food like gramma use to make.

The best fried chicken I have ever had! Wonderful salad bar. Great service from people who love where they work. Great value for the money. I love this place.

My husband and I got married last month. We had been working with a caterer for about 4 months before the wedding-​and they backed out on us about 3 weeks before our big day! I was very nervous and panicked because I did not know what we were going to do. Our first call was to Putnam Inn and Rhonda quickly put me at ease. She told me that she was going to make it happen-​she gave me everything I wanted and saved me quite a bit of money that I would’ve spent on the other caterer. The food was fantastic, but nothing could have surpassed the amazing experience I had with Rhonda and her team. They drove an hour to cater our wedding and she made everything happen exactly how I wanted it to! I can’t thank them enough! I would HIGHLY recommend Putnam Inn to cater any kind of gathering. I couldn’t have asked for better food and/​or better service. Rhonda was outstanding!

Really great down home comfort foods. The sugar cream pie was amazing and the Apple Carmel pie was out of this world. Mashed potatoes and beef gravy went quite well with sliced turkey and stuffing. It was thanksgiving a month early it was wonderful. I was I town with my Husband and his family to visit and go In search of some older cemeteries in the area. By the time we were done we, were quite Hungary. The buffet really hit the spot. Absolutely no complaints about the food, service or cleanliness of the place. Would not mind eating the agin whe back in town.

It was the most horrible experience that I ever had!
I ordered a salmon for 10.50 $ + 2 sides.
The salmon was packed of oil. Spiced with the most disgusting spices.
The mashed potatos and mac&cheese even were bland!
NOT RECOMMENDING AT ALL!

⁵⁄₅ for their cinnamon rolls. Best in town. Decent small-​town comfort food. Weekend brunches are where it’s at if you’ve never been here. The Putnam Inn catered my high-​school graduation brunch years ago and it was delicious.

I always believe in giving places several attempts to please me with food. Everyone has a bad day. But having lived in the area my whole life, i’ve finally decided the only good thing at The Putnam Inn is of course the cinnamon rolls. They are the best!
Now, for everything else, service was good! The food however was terrible. I started with a salad, my first and only bite seemed like the salad bar items were kept in open air and nothing was cold. It was very warm. Moving on i had a plate of popcorn shrimp and fried chicken, shrimp was ok, chicken was burnt and not warm. Next plate was a scoop of some sort of pasta Alfredo that was very bland that tasted like it was taken out of the can and warmed up. Next plate was a little ham, and mashed potatoes. They were decent, if you instant potatoes.
I really hate to leave a negative review, but its just not good…

Putnam Inn is one of those off the beaten path places that you don’t mind spending 45 minutes to drive too. This place has been here for a long time and for good reason. The food here is comfort food with a few surprises on the menu. Everything is made from scratch and is done really well. I would assume most of these recipes have been in the family for a long time.
First of all, the décor is inviting but nothing fancy. The place is large and can seat a lot of people. I believe they even have a banquet room. The service is great and even though it is mostly high school age kids, they are trained well and they know what they are suppose to do at all times.
The food is the star of the show. Chicken, fish, BBQ, shrimp and pork chops are some of the dishes that I have tried. All done perfectly and seasoned well. The sides are great. Mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, mac and cheese… You won’t be disappointed. I have never had anything that I was disappointed with. The surprises on the menu would be some Italian offerings and Seafood. Even if you are not in the mood for comfort food, they may still have something that you might be interested in.
As far as price and value. It is the $ 7.00 to $ 15.00 range which is fair. You are paying about the same as most chain sit down restaurants, but you are getting great value for the money you spend. Unlike chain restaurants that charge the same price but give you inferior food and poor value for the money you spend. I hope Putnam Inn is around for a long time. I enjoy my trips to this great little hidden secret.
If you are bored of chain restaurants and think for yourself and are not manipulated by millions of dollars in TV commercials to make yourself believe you have to eat average to below average overpriced food at some chain restaurant, I am one of you. Let’s all keep supporting the true food scene in Indiana.

Our wedding was this past Saturday in Clayton, Indiana and the Putnam Inn catered. We have not stopped hearing awesome things regarding the food! The buffet was an unbeatable price and included the white table linens, cloth napkins, silverware and cups! The staff was fantastic and efficient. The students (a few HS students were on the team) even were able to relax and have a few dances after the food was served and packed up! I highly recommend using the Putnam Inn! Rhonda was always very quick to get back to me with my questions as well!

Nothing amazing about this place, but nothing negative either. The breakfast buffet is superb, offering a wide variety of delectable breakfast items, like pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, custom made omelets, and biscuits and gravy. All for a reasonable price too.
Their dinner buffet is standard and offers good choices as well. However, I have come across some bland items and that is really the only bad thing I have to say about it here. The staff is pleasant, and the dessert bar is small but tasty. I will say that they have great cuts of roast beef on weekends!
Their bar is small but vintage, and their beer selection is weak. Alcohol prices are reasonable too.
The place is not super clean, but not dirty either. Could use some updating, but it is nice for a big group.
Their catfish is very gamey, but their white fish on the buffet is AWESOME!

The Putnam Inn is the best country-​style buffet around. Literally everything is delicious. My personal favorites are the fried chicken, shredded cheezy potatoes, broccoli-​carrot veggie medley, and for dessert: bread pudding with vanilla soft-​serve on top! Mmm! Service is friendly too — they make sure your drinks are refilled so you never have to interrupt your eating. :o)