La Grange Restaurant: Barely Surviving

LA GRANGE, IL — There is no sugarcoating about how business has been going at Prasino organic food restaurant since the state closed restaurant dining rooms last month. It's been bad.

Business has dropped 75 percent and sometimes more, said Peggy Maglaris Kopley, the restaurant's general manager and co-owner. All but a dozen of the business' 45 employees — or "extended family members," as she prefers calling them — have been laid off.

"We're surviving, but I don't know for how much longer," Kopley said in an interview.

The decade-old, farm-to-table restaurant is at 93 S. La Grange Road.

» Patch readers can find the La Grange open-or-closed business directory here «

Kopley's family also owns Jam n Jelly Cafe in Darien and Wild Monk in La Grange. Jam n Jelly has been closed temporarily during the crisis, while the Wild Monk is expected to open for carryout Friday for the first time during the governor's stay-at-home order.

In the days after the governor's order, many Prasino customers would come inside to pay in cash to help the restaurant, knowing that credit card transactions come with a fee for businesses.

"With the threat level going up and people more scared, we have seen an increase in delivery. We're having more people picking up curbside," Kopley said. "When they pull up and pay with a credit card, we don't have them sign anymore. Things have changed."

The restaurant has attracted notice over the years. In 2012, it made the news when Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis showed up for a meal.

"As soon they took a picture with me up front, it was craziness," Kopley recalled.

Actor Whoopi Goldberg also visited. "She was amazing and so personable. She FaceTimed my mom, who had recently had surgery," Kopley said.

Actor Jane Lynch also used to visit the restaurant when her late mother lived in La Grange.

"Jane Lynch is really, really nice. We respected their privacy. That's why she felt comfortable coming here," Kopley said.

She added, "Celebrities are perks. Bu it's our community that keeps us here. We are a destination because of our concept. We still have families driving here from Frankfort, New Lenox and Orland Park. We offer healthy food. There is something for everyone."

Kopley co-founded the restaurant with her father, Theodore Maglaris. "Without him, none of us would still be here," she said.

Prasino's menu is available online. It offers curbside, carryout and delivery through DoorDash, Grubhub and UberEats. For more information, call 708-469-7058.