ST. CHARLES – Although owner Rob Mondi closed Abby’s Breakfast and Lunch on Oct. 16, he’s thankful for all of the support he’s received from the city of St. Charles and all of the people therein.

“The city was great to us,” Mondi said. “All the different charities and organizations … were great to us. It makes me really sad that I had to close it. … I don’t think there is any better place to open a restaurant.”

He’s especially thankful for the support now that he is going through health complications with his artificial heart valve. Mondi became sick after opening Abby’s, at 11 N 3rd St, St Charles, in May 2015 and had to have open heart surgery after he tore a valve.

“I came back to everything too soon,” Mondi said. “I strained it again too soon. I may or may not have the surgery again.”

Mondi also said there has been an outpouring of support from the community in calls, texts and Facebook messages telling him that people are praying for him.

Those messages of support will do him all the better while he undergoes the Next Step Program at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva. He said he’s trying to get his medicines aligned and his blood to a point where it can easily pass through his artificial valve.

“[My blood] has to stay thin so it can go through the valve and not clot,” Mondi said. “ … My blood just doesn’t work, and I keep taking a higher and higher dose of blood thinners.”

With an artificial valve, Mondi said you have to take it easy; he added that working seven days a week and 10 hour days took its toll.

The change from 40 seats to 110 seats in 2016 signaled a change for the rest of the business as well. In addition to normal business hours, the restaurant started hosting parties at night. Days often ended at midnight, then Mondi would have to be back at 7 a.m. to open again.

“Some people don’t have any customers; we had all these customers,” Mondi said. “It was too much for my body. … Every time I think about it, I think how blessed we were. I am not a guy that likes to say no, especially to a fun party. So we said yes to everything.

"Abby's provided meals and events in conjunction with numerous local nonprofits, including TriCity Family Services, Lazarus House, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Steel Beam Theatre, LivingWell, CASA, Random Acts Matter and do-over.me. Abby's averaged close to $2,000 a month in charitable donations, including gift cards and private parties to local schools, churches and other charitable organizations."

Mondi plans on selling Abby’s. He added that several interested parties are looking at purchasing the restaurant. He’s unsure whether it will reopen as Abby’s or by another name.

“Someone will buy it, and it will be great for them, too,” Mondi said.