400 Free Louis' Family Restaurant Coffee Mugs Jan. 16

JOLIET, IL — Michael and Nick Polimenakos have done it again. For 10 consecutive months, they have continued to transform their father's indoor diner, Louis' Family Restaurant, at 1001 West Jefferson Street into Joliet's fastest drive-thru service.

Since the pandemic, the Joliet restaurant has been off-limits to indoor guests. And yet, Louis' hasn't skipped a beat. The restaurant has always remained open. It's open everyday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And this Saturday, Jan. 16, every customer who orders food will get a free Louis' Family Restaurant coffee mug. Customers are asked to say the restaurant's catchy slogan, which was the brainchild of kitchen cook, Rigo. The slogan is, "Oh nice, that's nice."

Michael Polimenakos told Joliet Patch on Thursday that a typical Saturday or Sunday draws 200 to 300 vehicles for takeout orders. He ordered 400 coffee mugs to give away Saturday.

One coffee mug per vehicle, he said.

"We think everybody should be able to get one," he said. "Call ahead with your order, so it's faster. Just put in an order of food and say our slogan, then we'll give you the free mug."

Why the coffee mug giveaway?

"We want people to know our logo and our slogan," Michael Polimenakos said. "We've never done one of these before."

Louis' Family Restaurant has also started selling hoodies and beanies featuring their Jefferson Street restaurant logo and slogan.

"When people start to see the L, it means Louis' Family Restaurant," Michael Polimenakos said.

The restaurant owner's sons told Joliet Patch they will be introducing a new lunch menu item in the coming days.

You can see a photo of it at the bottom of this article. It's a steak bowl that comes with rice along with Pico de Gallo.

Customers can order the new steak bowl spicy or non-spicy. For those who don't want a steak bowl, there will be a chicken bowl, the brothers said.

The chicken bowl will be about $9.75 while the steak bowl will be about $12.75, they said.

"It's basically a lunch skillet," Michael Polimenakos said.

At this point, the family-owned West Jefferson Street diner, a fixture in Joliet since December 1992, has no immediate plans to reopen its indoor dining rooms.

And yet business-wise, compared to January 2020, "we're actually doing better," Michael Polimenakos said. "For people my age (in their 20s) I know they're not going into places like my dad's restaurant to eat in.

"My brother Nick and I have stuck firmly to the idea of a drive-thru. We think this is the most efficient drive-thru in Joliet, and we feel we're offering something unique. We've had a massive influx of new customers, for sure."

Joliet Patch asked the owner's son about the idea of opening another Louis' Family Restaurant, perhaps as a drive-thru only business, elsewhere in the Joliet area.

"Oh yeah, that's the goal, stay in Joliet and why not open a couple restaurants?" Michael Polimenakos said.

He said the possibility of adding another Joliet restaurant, or two, may still be another year or two away.

Louis' Family Restaurant remains open seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To check out the breakfast and lunch menu or to use the new online ordering, go here.