Memories Of Pat's Pizza

"Thanks for 31 years."

With those simple words on the marquis, Pat's Pizza recently closed its doors. Owner Pat Harris said the competition had gotten too intense to remain open. 

The sudden closure of the business at 719 Barron Blvd. (Route 83) in Grayslake shocked some former employees and customers, who said they are sad to see it go.

"It's awful, awful, awful," said Karen Weinert, an employee at Pat's for 21 years. "I'm so sad."

She said there were many long-term employees at Pat's.

"People worked there for 15, 17, 21 years," Weinert said. "We were a family. The customers also felt like family to us. Every Christmas, you knew the college kids would come back there. Pat's was a big part of the community."

From throwing peanut shells on the floor to the table tops filled with Grayslake yearbook photos, the traditions at Pat's kept people coming back.

"We did all the tables in the back room with more recent photos, with graduates from 1999 to 2009," Weinert said. "They liked to see that.

Weinert's daughter, Tina, now grown, said Pat's was her first job, and her brother's first job.

"It's a family place," Tina Weinert said. "I'm so sad about it. I know two couples who met at Pat's and later got married. It's more than a restaurant. It's a family place."

Read Tina Weinert's Letter to the Editor here.

College student Bridget Egan worked at Pat's Pizza for about four years as a hostess, busboy and waitress. "To me, it's more about the people who worked there than just a restaurant," she said. "It's really was a family atmosphere and a friend group." 

Read Egan's Letter to the Editor here.

Many local groups held annual gatherings at Pat's Pizza, including the Special Olympic groups from Libertyville, the Grayslake Colts football organization, Grayslake Youth Baseball League, the Grayslake Lions Club and the Grayslake Post Office. 

Many local customers also made Pat's a regular habit.

Dolores "Dee" Elsasser of Mundelein, said she and her husband Curtis were loyal Pat's customers. "it was my husband's very favorite place to go," she said. "We used to go there every day for lunch. Every day."

Elsasser said numerous family parties, including their 50th wedding anniversary party, family birthday parties and her mother's 80th birthday, all were held at Pat's. When her husband passed away in Aug. 2010, she held the lunch reception at - where else? - Pat's.

"There is a lot of special memories there," she said. "I was really suprised that they closed. I developed friendships with the staff. Their food was great. I liked everything they had. It is unbelievable that they closed."

Read More on Patch:

• Pat's Pizza Closes After 31 Years
• Letter to the Editor: Thank You, Pat's Pizza
• Memories From Pat's Pizza
• Letter to the Editor: Life Lessons from Pat's Pizza