Business: Quigley’s Irish Pub
Address: 43 E. Jefferson Ave., Naperville
Phone/website: 630-428-4774; www.quigleysirishpub.com
Managing partner: Andy Nosek, 45, of Aurora
Years in business: 27
What does this business do? “Quigley’s is an authentic Irish pub,” Nosek said.
Why an Irish pub? “Nancy Quigley and the powers-that-be designed everything in Ireland with Irish craftsmen. They built the pub in Ireland. They took it apart and brought it here in container boxes. Same Irish craftsmen who built it in Ireland came here. … They did it right. This is as close as you’re going to get to an authentic Irish pub on this side of the pond.
“All the etched glass, the stained glass is all traditional. There are tile inlets in the wood floor that are hand-laid.”
When are you open? “We are open daily at 11 a.m. On some specialty days we may open earlier. Close midnight daily, 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.”
What about the food? “Irish-American fare. We have traditional Irish fare. We have (corned) beef and cabbage, which is not a big thing in Ireland. We offer a traditional Irish breakfast, Irish bangers, grilled tomato, fried mushrooms, eggs of your choice. We serve an Irish soda bread we make here in house. It happens to be my mom’s recipe. We make six to eight loaves every batch and probably make (batches) two to three times a week. Your burgers, your wraps, your appetizers. Shepherd’s pie is on the menu. More of a country pie because we don’t use ground lamb, we use ground beef.”
What’s your favorite? “Guinness beef is one of my all-time favorites. It’s filling. It’s delicious. You can taste the Guinness. Why put it in there if you can’t?
“Our kitchen manager has created an Irish tiramisu that is to die for. A lot of Guinness, Jameson and Kahlua in there. … Not much that we do isn’t made in house. … We’re known for our Rueben rolls. Corned beef, cabbage and Swiss cheese in an egg roll wrapper and fried to golden perfection. We sell a lot of those.”
What’s your background? “I came here in 2005. Was hired as a manager, moved my way up to general manager. I left in 2016. My daughter was getting older and I was missing out on stuff. I went into corporate America for about 5 and one-half years. The love of restaurants and the fact that one of the business partners wanted to move out of state kind of opened the door. … I came back in October of 2021.”
How has it been? “It’s been fantastic. It’s fun. I can’t sit still, so moving around a restaurant is beneficial to me. It’s been fun to take it into the next decade.”
How many employees? “We have about 40.”
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How does the World Cup impact business? “We are your home base for all things soccer. Every single match will be on here. Bigger matches, we draw bigger crowds. The USA team played this past Friday (June 12 and) it was standing room only. The environment is just awesome. … We had a good crowd Sunday for Germany at noon. We’ll get good crowds for England. … Yes, we’re an Irish pub but we’re a melting pot.
“The USA team next plays at 2 o’clock this Friday (June 19). By noon, we will be filled inside. … We’re running different beer specials through the entire tournament. USA’s seltzer sponsor is Truly so we’re running Truly Hard Seltzer specials on USA game days.”
Is this a good location? “Yes. Being downtown, tucked into the neighborhood, kind of on the college campus. We don’t get a lot of the college kids. Do get a lot of professors and administrators. … We get all types. It’s a blast.”
What’s your secret to success? “Consistency. You order a sandwich, come back three years later, order the same sandwich, it’s exactly how you remember. A lot of the staff has been here, if not since 1998, shortly thereafter.”
What about competition? “There’s a lot of choices downtown. You stay competitive. I play pricing games. … You partner with beer companies to do specials. It’s difficult. Cut throat. But we’re the only Irish pub in town.”
What do you like best? “I love the people, talking with everyone.”
Anything you don’t like? “Not really. Every job has its struggles, but it’s about how you deal with them and move forward.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Know what you’re doing. Understand what you’re getting yourself into, especially in the restaurant industry. It’s long hours, It’s hard work. I try to lead by example. … Have a business model and don’t veer off of it.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at [email protected].