Mchenry / Illinois / United States
When Paul Karas and his brother George bought The Village Squire in 1974, it had already gone through some major changes. It was originally named "The Swiss Chalet" in the 1950s, with white tablecloths, turquoise upholstered chairs, and light brown woodwork all the way up to the vaulted ceiling. After a major fire destroyed much of the building in the mid 1960s (? - we think!), it was remodeled and renamed The Village Squire. Mostly a dark tavern lit by candles and littered with peanut shells on the floor, Paul and George promptly closed it down for a few weeks after they purchased the restaurant in 1974. They changed the menu from eight items to twelve items, switched from peanuts to popcorn, and did a little bit of remodeling before reopening in early 1975. Some of our original menu items included the Gyros sandwich, Reuben, beef sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, souvlaki, steak sandwich, fish sandwich, fish and chips, hamburger, and hot dog.
