Maple Tree Inn Owners Announce Carry Out Service

Leave it to a first responder to size up the situation and take action like a modern-day Minute Man.

Firefighter Dan Collins was among the first to respond to the Maple Tree Inn's carryout service, driving from his Chicago Beverly home to Homewood, IL and complementing the dinner with stops at his other favorite haunts.

Welcome to the new norm.

Calling in with a credit card in advance, keeping his space from staff and customers and giving tips for the staff, Collins exhibited good manners and a real sense of reading the moment.

"I'm a firefighter and I have a recession-proof career," shouted Collins, with two shopping bags of meals hanging from his arms in the parking lot.
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"We're all in this together so we have to support the restaurants who support us and we have to take care of the staff and food runners because they are the most vulnerable workers here."

As if his on-the-record quotes weren't enough, Collins fed his family and then took to Facebook to inspire others to follow his lead:

Maple Tree Inn "to go" stared tonight…. Only 20 minute drive… Dinner paired nicely with Open Outcry Brewing Company Louis Winthorpe IPA! Curbside pick up started there as well. John Brand even writes thank you on the can. How can ya beat it! #eatlocal #drinklocal & don't forget to kick in a little extra to the team members at each establishment who rely on tips to make ends meet. They're making it happen. They're helping us to feel good during these crazy times. So get out there and #supportlocalbusiness & keep your social distance mister! We can do this!

At the Maple Tree Inn entrance owners, staff and customers greet each other enacting a voice and volume level of two dog walkers keeping their dogs apart.

While the hearty Collins "queued up" with others at the famed Cajun restaurant, others never left their cars on the Maple Tree Inn's opening night of carry out Wednesday.

Maple Tree Inn owners gained momentum each night taking carry-out orders at 18849 Dixie Highway, Homewood, Illinois; 708-388-3461. Since, they've tweaked the schedule to better meet need and trends. A full menu is displayed at http://www.mapletreeinnrestaurant.com.

In response to all of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's announcements, owners Katie and Erich Wennberg executed their plan and continued working with local leaders, health authorities and the Illinois Restaurant Association to prepare "a rigid procedure for call-in and pick-up service" designed to keep customers from standing in line, while remaining six feet apart and inside the restaurant's entrance for only minutes at a time. There is no delivery service at this time.

"First and foremost, we want to protect the health of our customers and our own staff," Maple Tree Inn owner Erich Wennberg said. "This a fluid situation and we are doing everything we're told by the experts while creating opportunities to get meals to residents in our community."

"We applaud the Maple Tree Inn's ingenuity and straightforward plan in response to the pandemic impacting the entire state and our community," said Mayor Rich Hofeld. "People should remember we are all in this together."

The Maple Tree Inn will operate the carry out service during the hours of 3:30 until 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Credit card orders only can be placed by phone at 708-388-3461; receptionists will provide an accurate time frame for pickup. On arrival, customers will be directed toward the entrance or a runner will bring it into the parking lot.

Stanchions with signage will be in place to create a queue up and designate the proper 6 ft. distance between customers, the entrance and counter. Dining-in restrictions prevent anyone from waiting inside the restaurant for their food but they can pick up in the parlor.

Maple Tree Inn: Opened in 1975, the Maple Tree Inn committed exclusively to Cajun/Creole cuisine in the early 1980s and established a passionate, loyal following. The Maple Tree Inn was named to the Top 50 Best Southern Restaurants in America by OpenTable in 2018.

The Maple Tree Inn patrons who have dining-in reservations during March are encouraged to reschedule those reservations through: www.opentable.com/r/maple-tree-inn-homewood or http://www.mapletreeinnrestaurant.com.