On June 23, owners of The Cottage on Dixie announced the restaurant was closing. Four days later, citing community support and a change of operating plans, owners announced the restaurant would reopen July 18.
The Cottage on Dixie at 18849 Dixie Highway in Homewood will reopen July 18 after a hiatus of nearly a month. (Chronicle file photo)
On June 23, a post on the Facebook page of The Cottage on Dixie restaurant indicated that the establishment had closed. Customers were thanked for their business and encouraged to support other local food establishments.
“We cannot do it anymore,” the post stated.
Owner Glenna Elvery explained on Monday that after six-and-a-half years she was exhausted and needed some time off. She also wanted to see more of her grandchildren, who live in another state, and ideally she is hoping to find an interested and serious buyer to step in to continue feeding hungry Homewood and Flossmoor residents the kind of food they’d become accustomed to at the farm-to-table eatery.
On Thursday, a new post went up: “Our Grand Re-Opening is set for Thursday, July 18, 2019 at 5:00 pm!! Hope to see you then!!”
Elvery said Friday that the quick turnaround came from a combination of things – the outpouring of support from the community at the announcement of closing, the relief in being able to greatly adjust the hours, some “personal reasons” and not wanting to disappoint people.
There will be some changes happening during the nearly four-week hiatus. The place may look a little brighter upon re-opening after some deep cleaning. They’ve started on cleaning carpets and scrubbing floors and the bar top is being refinished.
New hours will be put in place for dinner-only service three days a week. The restaurant will be open on Thursdays from 5 to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 10:30 p.m. The restaurant will be available for private events only on Sundays.
“We will no longer be farm-to-table because we cannot sustain it, especially in light of this weather. If you’ve driven down Western Avenue, you’ve seen how much water is on the golf course from Butterfield Creek or heard of the flooding in Crete and Steger,” she said.
“Our farms are suffering as well. Therefore, the menu will change. The food will still be organic and fresh and will be from our growers whenever possible. Since we’ll only have a dinner menu, it will be structured differently but it’s a work in progress.”
What isn’t changing?
“The staples will still be there. Our burger isn’t going away!” said Elvery.
The restaurant will also continue serving craft beers and hand-crafted cocktails, making their own ingredients for infused beverages.
“We’ll continue to be creative with seasonal fruits and herbs,” said Elvery.
