Skokie restaurateurs were left heartbroken on Valentine’s Day when a broken water main disaster in northeastern Skokie left the village without drinkable tap water from Feb. 14 through 16. The lack of water meant most Skokie restaurants had to close on Valentine’s Day, one of the most profitable days of the year, and offer only limited service that weekend.
To mend those broken hearts, Skokie officials began a campaign titled “Double the Love” for Skokie restaurants to have another shot at offering Valentine’s Day on Feb. 28.
“Valentine’s Day weekend is typically one of the most lucrative weekends for local restaurants – a time when couples brave the cold to celebrate love over a delicious meal,” the village’s Economic Vitality Coordinator Carol White said in an email.
The “double the love” slogan is a call for customers to support local restaurants, White said, and it doesn’t mean that there are deals or discounts associated with it for businesses that closed on Feb. 14.
According to White, there are nearly 400 restaurants in Skokie. “Everyone suffers from an unprecedented loss like this,” she said.
Marcos Rivera, owner of Libertad restaurant, said he is hopeful customers will patronize his business on the 28th. Libertad saw losses between $15,000 and $20,000 after having to close on Valentine’s Day, after the business placed special orders for filet mignon, salmon and oysters.
“So far, the support from the community has been great,” Rivera said. A special menu for the do-over day is being planned, but it won’t be the same specialty dishes that were originally planned for Feb. 14.
“We’ve seen a spike in reservations, and hopefully that will continue,” after the village began the ‘Double the Love’ campaign, Rivera said.
“All we can do is hope we continue to get the support the community has given us… without them, it’s very difficult to make it,” he said.
But not everybody in Skokie was hopeful that the village’s efforts could match the dinner rush and weekend business that Valentine’s Day usually entails.
Desi Mulingbayan, the owner of Village Inn Pizza, said that while his restaurant will serve heart-shaped pizzas on Feb. 28, the restaurant is largely moving on.
“We have fellow restaurateurs who have their biggest weekend on Valentine’s Day weekend. They stock up with filet mignons and oysters and what-have-you… I can see how it works out for them… not that we’re ever a destination for Valentine’s Day,” he said.
Mulingbayan said his restaurant booked Love Sick, an adult drag show, for Feb. 15th to coincide with the holiday. He said he can’t get them for the upcoming weekend because they are already booked up.
And on the 29th, the Village Inn will host a pay-per-view viewing of a boxing match between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach, he said.
Over at Will’s Place, Manager Jeff Hallagan said the café was able to sell all of its Valentine’s Day baked goods on Feb. 14, before many restaurants closed in the afternoon.
“Thank you to the community for rallying and helping us and (we are) thankful everybody can come out this weekend and help all of the local restaurants keep doing what they’re what they’re doing,” he said.
