advertisement

Owner of Pizza Place in Round Lake Park vows rebuild after tornado

Nearly three months after a tornado blew through, a big blue tarp still protects what's left of The Pizza Place in Round Lake Park, and passers-by continue to honk and wave at owner Jean McCue.

McCue, a former village trustee and mayor, lives next door and checks the decimated business daily. Her family has been associated with the property along Route 134, a main street in town, for more than 100 years, so she isn't leaving.

"This property is important to me. It was my great-grandfather's barn yard," McCue said. "This is where the work horses were pastured."

"Whether the insurance pays for it or not, I will be knocking it down and starting over," she said.

The process of replacing what's been lost has taken time. Insurers originally suggested the old frame building could be repaired, but that stance apparently has changed after some deliberation.

"All four walls are not where they should be," said McCue, who is awaiting bids from contractors to rebuild and plans for a reopening early next year.

Besides the family land connection, McCue has a personal history with this spot and the original business.

"I did work here in 1962, when I was 14, at the A & W," she said. Built in 1960 and expanded over time, that operation yielded to a couple of burger joints before The Pizza Place set up shop in 1975. McCue began working there in 1981 and bought the business in 1998.

However, few moments remain as vivid as that stormy Sunday night when she was parked in the lot.

"Aug. 2, 8:41 p.m.," she recalled. At that point, McCue was about to retrieve an umbrella that had blown off one of the tables outside the restaurant when her car began to rock.

"I watched a picnic table go straight up in the air and slam into the railroad embankment. Then I turned around and saw the roof sitting behind the building," McCue said. One of her signs wound up in a yard in Grayslake more than two miles away.

"I have a new respect for the wind," she said.

The Pizza Place apparently marked the starting point for what later was determined to be an EF-1 tornado that raced through several communities in central Lake County. In Round Lake Park, the damage was confined mainly to some residences.

"The only business that was damaged was basically hers, and hers was taken out," Mayor Linda Lucassen said. "We've had more roof permits pulled since September than we've had in years. We had a lot of roofs replaced."

McCue said two employees and four customers inside the building at the time ducked behind a counter.

"It was probably only a minute or two, but it seemed like a lifetime," she said.

Most of the equipment was saved and about all that's left inside is a walk-in cooler and the countertop in the ice cream area. The rest is in a trailer just outside. The business office has been moved to her coffee table at home, and she is able to function and pay the bills.

Through insurance, about 14 employees on the payroll at the time have been receiving 50 percent pay.

"We lived through it unharmed," McCue said. "That's the important part."

@dhmickzawislak

Images: See the tornado damage in Lake County

Damaged buildings, fallen trees, inconvenience remain after Lake County tornado

Homes, businesses in central Lake County bouncing back from tornado

A rendering of the future home for The Pizza Place in Round Lake Park. Courtesy of Jean McCue
  The Pizza Place in Round Lake Park remains closed from damage caused by a tornado in early August. Mick Zawislak/mzawislak@dailyherald.com
  A stump of a damaged tree is a reminder of the tornado that struck The Pizza Place in Round Lake Park. Mick Zawislak/mzawislak@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.