‘I’m gonna miss this’: Elgin Public House for sale after owner announces retirement

Seventeen years after fulfilling his longtime dream of opening a restaurant, Elgin Public House owner Greg Shannon has put the downtown staple up for sale, saying it’s time to retire.

“The mind and the heart are willing, but the body is tired,” he said.

Shannon announced his decision last week and already has received some interest from people who want to buy the popular pub at 219 E. Chicago St.

“I was an emotional basket case coming to this decision,” he said. “It was one of the hardest things I ever did. This is what I wanted to do for 50 years ... I did it. And now I’m done doing it. It’s very, very hard.”

Shannon said he has spent much of his life in restaurants, starting at age 12. By the time he was in high school, he was managing six Pizza Huts. He later worked as a short-order cook, head chef, bartender, and food and beverage manager.

He's done just about everything you can do in a restaurant.

“I knew when I was 15 that I wanted to open my own restaurant,” he said.

In 2006, he came close to purchasing a building in St. Charles for a restaurant. But when that deal fell through, his broker suggested Elgin.

Not knowing much about Elgin, he talked with city leaders and wandered around the town with his wife.

“I looked at my wife and said, ‘This town needs a pub,’” he said. “We opened Jan. 6, 2007, and we’ve been going ever since.”

Shannon said the new owners would get the name, the recipes he’s developed over the years and other assets.

“I have some wonderful people working for me, and I hope (the new owners) keep them because the kitchen is phenomenal, and they crank out great food,” he said.

Shannon said he plans to stay active in the community and will continue doing things like his chef demos at the Downtown Elgin Farmers Market, but for now, he wants to spend time with his 13 grandkids, who range in age from 22 to a 1-year-old.

“I just want to play Papa,” he said while acknowledging he’ll miss the restaurant business.

“I love the cooking, the creating,” he said. “I’m gonna miss this.”