Maple Tree Inn Owners Present Carryout Service

HOMEWOOD, IL – MARCH 17 -- Maple Tree Inn owners announced today the famed restaurant will begin taking carry-out orders Wednesday at 18849 Dixie Highway, Homewood, Illinois; 708-388-3461.

In response to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Sunday announcement ordering all state restaurants and bars closed Monday, owners Katie and Erich Wennberg unveiled a plan they were saving for the warmer weather but provides needed answers today.

Statewide restaurants can continue serving pickup and drive-through customers and provide delivery during the two-week hiatus, Pritzker announced during the news conference. The Maple Tree Inn’s Tuesday response to the edict comes as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois has risen up over 100 and the first death has been reported in Illinois.

The Maple Tree Inn owners and staff have been 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 is 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 have retrained and refocused all of our career servers to provide an exceptional carry out experience. People should remember to tip those same servers who are delivering those meals directly to you.”

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

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

Orders can be placed by phone; receptionists will provide an accurate time frame for pickup. On arrival, customers will be directed toward the entrance.

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

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.