It seems fitting that looking back over the 50 years since The Village Squire opened in West Dundee, one of the best-selling songs of 1974 should be the nostalgic ballad “The Way We Were.”
In the same year that Watergate forced Richard Nixon to resign as president and Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record, brothers Paul and George Karas bought the business at 125 Washington St. that would eventually lead to the Karas Restaurant Group.
The Squire, as locals call it, was built from the hard work of Greek immigrants who brought to the table a smorgasbord of ideas and a recipe for success based on enjoying life.
“When people go out to eat, they want something fun, not just food,” George Karas said. “It’s about entertainment and happiness.”
Karas came to the United States and the Fox Valley in 1971. Brother Paul arrived 10 years earlier, where he established Paul’s Tap in downtown Elgin. The two didn’t know much about business or running restaurants, George Karas said.
“But we were relentless and determined to succeed,” he said.
George Karas initially found work at the Swedish Manor and the Nordic Steakhouse, two eateries located next to each other in West Dundee. Back in the day, Fox Valley restaurants were big on beef, buffets and European themes.
The brothers learned that Hal Thurnau was looking to sell The Village Squire, formerly known as the Swiss Chalet, off the Fox River in downtown West Dundee and decided to seize the opportunity.
At the time, the interior was dark and dimly lit, recalled Donna Farrell, who worked with Karas at the Swedish Manor and joined him as part of the waitstaff when the new enterprise launched.
“(The interior looked like) was like it was before electricity,” Farrell said with a laugh.
She would end up staying for 45 years, serving as the restaurant’s manager for more than 20 of them before retiring five years ago.
“I enjoyed working for the Karas family. They’re wonderful people,” Farrell said.
The Squire also inherited the previous restaurant’s patrons. Among them was Elgin real estate agent Charles Miller, who remembers dining there with local police chiefs and swapping stories about what was happening locally.
Miller said he also knew Frida Scholl, who owned the liquor store next door and later sold it to the brothers so they could exand.
The Karases added touches they found from all sorts of places around the area.
For example, they bought inexpensive Mason jars to use as drinking glasses from the local Ace Hardware. Staff wore aprons like those donned by employees at Dundee Lumber.
A visit to the Fritz That’s It restaurant in Evanston convinced George Karas that Mai Tais and rum barrels needed to be added to the drinks list. When they switched from complimentary peanuts to popcorn, it inspired a song, “Little Fluffy Balls of Golden Sunshine,” written by Walt Jones. (You can see a new version of the song recorded by local musicians to mark the Squire’s 50th anniversary on YouTube.)
The menu offered burgers, pizza, ribs and Greek dishes, including saganaki, a cheese that’s set on fire and then extinguished with a shout of “Opa!”
“They had gyros. We didn’t even know what those were back then,” said Elgin resident Bill Richards, who has been patronizing The Squire with his wife, Gwen, for more than 45 years.
“I like the prime rib, and my cheeseburger cooked rare,” Gwen Richards said.
Other loyal customers include George Lerret and Kevin Wyatt, who became customers more than 20 years ago when Lerret ran a greenhouse in the area. They now drive from the Rockford area at least a half dozen times a year to dine with friends they made through eating at The Squire.
To celebrate their golden anniversary, the West Dundee Village Squire has a host of things planned for May, according to Bob Karas, who is Paul’s son. Paul Karas died in 2019.
Among them are a ribbon-cutting event at 11 a.m. Thursday hosted by the Northern Kane County and Elgin chambers of commerce, with lunch specials featuring flashback pricing until 2 p.m.; a 50th anniversary celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 30; and distribution of 5,000 gifts to diners that will include coupons for free include appetizers, percentages off meals, half-price pizza and $100 gift cards.
“I pretty much grew up here, and have been working in the family business since I was 10,” said Bob Karas, who now oversees the Karas Restaurant Group, which includes Village Squire restaurants in West Dundee, Crystal Lake, McHenry and South Elgin; Alexander’s Café in Elgin and St. Charles; seven Rookies All-American Pub & Grills; Elgin’s Old Republic Kitchen & Bar; and Rookies Rochaus, a performance venue in West Dundee.
In the fall, they’ll be opening The Squire Ale House in Campton Hills, Bob Karas said.
Paul’s daughters Despina Karas and Eleni Karavasis are also involved with the group as are George Karas’s son Aleko and son-in-law Nick Smith.
Bob Karas said that the marquee in front of the West Dundee location frequently notes the simple motto behind the restaurant’s longevity: “A good place to be since 1974.”
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
