Nestled below the bustle of Main Street on the historic Woodstock Square is a spot where locals and visitors have come to feel at home. It’s a place where friends meet up to talk for hours at the bar or businessmen stop for a quick, fresh lunch and a friendly welcome.
As owners of the Woodstock Public House, Kathryn and Brian Loprino have immersed themselves in the town to get to know their regulars—and their favorite dish or cocktail. The location, near the Woodstock Opera House and the train station, is ideal; they chose a similar location for their new restaurant, the Williams Street Public House. The new restaurant is a renovated 102-year-old building in downtown Crystal Lake.
“We love the historic downtown areas,” Kathryn said. “We’re on the same street as the Raue Center for the Arts and just off the train line.” The couple took on an 18-month renovation project to get the building ready. A former antique mall, the historic Warner Building was completely gutted. The interior of the new Public House is styled in warm tones, brick, wood and mosaic tiles, Kathryn said. \
Here to Stay
From the day the Woodstock Public House opened, the Loprinos embraced their new hometown and its residents. Having moved from Batavia to settle with their two children, the couple immediately felt at home and knew they had made the right choice.
“When we came to Woodstock I fell in love with it,” Kathryn said. “It’s the first time I have felt I have a home.”
Madison and Hunter, the couple’s children, have grown up coming to work with mom and dad, said Kathryn, adding, “this is their second home.” A unique grand opening helped the couple to fast become part of the community. At $10 a person—for all the food you could sample—all proceeds from the first grand opening night benefited Adult and Family Rehabilitation, and proceeds from the second night went to the Family Health Partnership Clinic. A similar grand opening is planned for the new restaurant.
“I think that helped the community embrace us,” Kathryn said.
The couple has stayed true to a commitment to local causes by supporting the Little Angels Harley-Davidson ride and local groups such as the Jaycees, the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce, Turning Point and United Way.
Serving Up Success
It’s no wonder the majority of Public House customers come back again and again and again. With food made from scratch and a wide variety of meals—from homemade soups to fresh Hawaiian fish—plus seasonal specials, customers always have a fresh choice. “We embrace what Woodstock is,” Kathryn said, adding that means good food, good service and good prices. “We’ve got a little bit of everything. With our menu, you can eat here three times a week. One, you can afford to, and two, there’s a big enough selection to choose from.”
Every plate is made from scratch, she said.
“Every single dish is made to order,” Kathryn said, adding even the sauces aren’t made in batches ahead of time. “Because we’re a scratch kitchen, we can make up a little bit of everything. There’s no lunch or dinner menu. We’re an open menu from the time we open until the time we close.”
Aside from the prime rib, a special served Friday and Saturday nights, fresh fish from Hawaii is a trademark dish.
“We fly fish in fresh from the Hawaiian Islands,” Kathryn said. “It’s caught and in our restaurant two days later.”
A prep kitchen upstairs has two full-time prep chefs starting work at 7 a.m. to prepare soups, pulled pork and other items that can be done ahead of time. This helps provide customers with fast, fresh lunches. An average wait time is seven minutes.
“We pride ourselves on having fast food-ticket times with fresh food,” Kathryn said. “When people are waiting because we’re full, they know it’s worth the wait because they’re served within 7 minutes.”
Like Family
With conversation at the bar ranging from the day’s events to the good old days in Woodstock, customers are as comfortable relaxing and chatting as if they were in a friend’s home.
“I’ve got historians who sit at the bar and they’ll give me the whole history of Woodstock,” Kathryn said. “It’s just a really comfortable place to come.”
Most of the restaurant’s staff have been with Public House since day one and have gotten to know the regulars. For the past six months, the couple has been preparing to staff the new restaurant with a mix of veteran and new staffers working at each location, “so we can open up simultaneously without compromise,” Kathryn said.
As for the Loprinos, Brian will be the most visible at the new restaurant.
“Brian’s forte is opening up restaurants, getting them going,” Kathryn said. “So, you’ll see him a lot around there.”
Kathryn will split her time between the two. As busy as they are preparing the new spot, the couple has kept up with improvements to the Woodstock restaurant. Most recently, the booths in the dining area were replaced with more open seating.
“There is potential now for more seating,” she said, adding they can now more easily serve large groups and multiple smaller groups. With the same philosophy of treating customers like family spilling over into their second restaurant, Crystal Lake will no doubt embrace the Loprinos as Woodstock has.
“We’ve been welcomed with open arms,” she said.
