Libertyville restaurant owner taking it one day at a time

The Picnic Basket restaurant has been a fixture in Libertyville for 39 years.

Owner Catherine Amin has never opened additional locations, she says, because she likes to know her customers.

The Picnic Basket is not charging for delivery or adding gratuity onto the bill, "although many generous customers have added gratuity on their own," Amin said.

During the stay-at-home order, she's been able to keep all of her 12 employees, albeit with a reduction in hours.

"I'm not sure if any of the aid packages will help us," she said, recounting how she tried to apply for a loan with a local bank but was the 59th person in line on the phone, left her information and hasn't heard back.

"The first two weeks I dealt with it one hour at a time. Last week was one day at a time. Now I am dealing with it until hopefully the end of April, but I think this may go a bit longer.

I am thankful for every customer, for every order, for every donation, for every moment."

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