Kelsey's owner, 62, takes on new challenge with Gino's East

After running local bars and restaurants for the past 28 years, Beverly Langer is familiar with 14-hour workdays, especially for someone taking over a new place.

At the age of 62, Langer is at it again. The Palatine woman, who owns the Kelsey Road House in Lake Barrington, recently took over as owner of Gino's East in Lake Zurich. She originally planned to change the name of the pizzeria to show the connection between the two establishments, but decided against it after working with the franchise. Instead, she will bring some of her popular menu items from the Kelsey Road House to Lake Zurich.

"The filet grinder is the most popular and we do a lot of wraps," Langer said.

She is now preparing the kitchen at Gino's to handle the additional menu items.

"It's a slow process. We hope to make all the changes by January first," she said.

Langer explained that taking over the restaurant is a "huge venture." It helps that she's done it many times before.

The entrepreneur has a little extra time on her plate since she closed The Office Pub in Palatine. After she ran the bar for 28 years, the neighboring Harris Bank bought her property for drive-through lanes and retail space.

After spending nearly three decades in the industry, Langer enjoys what she does. "You either love it or you hate it," she explained.

Langer finds food interesting. Growing up on a farm in a poor rural area of Southern Illinois, Langer learned how to can vegetables from the garden and make the most of what she had.

"I had Hungarian and Italian grandparents and the foods were always interesting," she said.

Growing up, Langer learned how to work hard. It's a trait that has stayed with her. "I'm a hands-on owner. I work very hard," she added.

In taking over Gino's and its 35 employees, she says there will be no changes made to the pizza and pasta menu.

She added that the establishment is different from Kelsey's, which she took over seven years ago. Gino's consists of more than 30 percent carryout, where Kelsey's is 90 percent walk-in.

Langer notes that the timing and the economy are not ideal to start a new business venture, but she feels like she has been through this before as well.

"I bought my first bar in 1982 when Jimmy Carter was president and interest rates were above 19 percent," she said.

While interest rates are now low, it's the jobless rate that has Langer worried. "It's a scary time now like it was a scary time then," she said.