How local restaurants are faring in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan
HUNTLEY – As of February 3, McHenry County met the criteria set by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to move from Tier 1 mitigations to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan. For restaurants and bars, this means a step closer to normalcy as they may now allow indoor dining and drinking for parties of up to 10 people.
The negative implications of an entire ban on dine in services issued by Gov. JB Pritzker this past November, was much too grave of a situation for some restaurants to bare, leading a few local eateries to defy Pritzker’s orders and continue to serve customers indoors.
Parkside Pub was one of the Huntley area restaurants that accommodated to outdoor tent seating while also continuing to serve patrons indoors during the stricter mitigations. However, now that those restrictions have since been eased, Parkside Pub owner JR Westberg is just content to be making strides in the right direction.
“We are excited we are able to serve our customers in a closer to normal environment. The past ten months have been a roller coaster. Being told that your hard work and life savings has to be closed is devastating. Seeing fear and uncertainty in the staff’s eyes is heartbreaking,” Westberg stated. “Thankfully the community support has been strong. We have been able to pay our bills and keep everyone employed and that is encouraging. We are optimistic this will end soon, but for now we wait. Thank you to our friends, family and community for your continued support.”
For those curious, Parkside Pub will have a Valentine’s Day special on Black Angus beef medallions with a side of their creamy mashed potatoes, green beans, and a dinner roll plus three fried jumbo shrimp.
My Huntley News had previously reported on Sammy’s Bar and Grill and their experience in also continuing to allow dine in services during the tighter mitigations. Sammy’s Bar and Grill co-owner Diane Walsh ensured her and her staff were taking the proper precautions to keep patrons safe, and was thankful for those in the Huntley community who came to support them during these trying times.
Today, Walsh is just trying to keep a positive outlook as she hopes the ease up in dine in restrictions will attract more business.
“I feel like more people will start coming out. We’re still limited on the amount of people we can have in there, but it’s definitely not going to hurt us. It’ll probably help, but it’s still up to the people to come out,” she said.
As to what she looks forward to in the near future as more people continue to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Walsh stated, “Just being back to normal. Being fully open if that’s ever possible. It’s such a strain on the small businesses. It’s ridiculous.”
Walsh explained that Sammy’s will not be hosting any events or offering specials for Valentine’s Day this year as their establishment is not trying to entice a crowd.
“We want to keep it safe. We want to keep it simple. You know, if we have a crowd and something would go wrong, it would hurt us more. So, we’re not doing that. We’re just keeping it as is, and hoping for the best,” Walsh said.
Having just opened its doors to the Huntley community in February of 2020, More Brewing Company chose to follow Pritzker’s mitigation orders, closing its dining area through the duration of the ban placed on restaurants and bars.
The financial implications were felt, as More Brewing Company resorted to asking for donations from local residents through their GoFundMe page created back in March, in order to support their staff.
More Brewing Company manager Stephen James explained that with the rules of Phase 4 now in place, they are able to operate indoor dining through a limited capacity using multiple rooms.
“We have a main dining area and then we also have our barrel room and then we have a sour room as well. So, those two rooms we can utilize with limited seating. That’s what we have right now. We just started as of last Wednesday (Jan 26),” James said. “Aside from that, we have been running with an extended delivery program where people can put in their orders for their region that we’re going to for that day, for beer, and then we will deliver beer to them, to their home.”
James was delighted to share that More Brewing Company is faring much better these days as their company just hit distribution in the Chicagoland area, for their beer.
“[We’re] just happy to have people back in here, enjoying food and beer within our four walls and them being able to get out of their homes and sit in a safe environment with us. We’ve held very strong adhering to the guidelines here from day one, and we pride ourselves on that. Now being able to have people in here is a great option and opportunity for everyone to get out,” James said.
As for Valentine’s Day, James mentioned More Brewing Company dedicated a whole menu for the occasion, which has been ongoing since Feb 1.
Menu items include scallops, grilled pork chops, and a puff pastry.
More Brewing Company will also be launching a merch and beer package for Valentine’s Day. The package will include two winter hats, two drinking glasses, and a four pack of beer of choice.
“We’re constantly updating our menu and our beer releases. We release on average two new beers a week. So, we have new options every week when you come in as well,” James explained.
