MORRIS – A longstanding fixture of downtown Morris will close its doors for good Tuesday. Weits Cafe’s owners, Bob and Sandi Brenner, are retiring after 45 years in the restaurant business.

“We wish to thank our customers and friends for their many years of loyal patronage,” Bob wrote in a note to the community.

In 1978, Weitz became Weits, although the famous sign retained the original spelling. However, the sign fell during a windstorm in March of this year.

The Brenners had once visited
Morris after military service on the invitation of a friend.

“We discovered Morris to be a friendly, inviting community with great schools and amenities,” Bob wrote. “A place to put down roots and raise a family.”

He said he was fortunate to receive advice from Herb Weitz when he began.

When the Brenners bought the cafe, they had to change its name – but only slightly. “It’s particularly difficult to say goodbye to the present staff,” Bob wrote. “Most have been with us for a very long time.”

Bob noted that for many employees, Weits Cafe was their first job. They’ve gone on to be teachers, nurses, professors and administrators or working in business.

“Hopefully their job at Weits was meaningful and gave them a start,” he wrote.

The cafe eventually branched out into catering. It held a contract to provide food to the Grundy County jail, except on Sundays, when the cafe was closed. It has catered local events, everything from weddings to country shows at the Grundy County Corn Festival.

“Weits Cafe even created a stir in the community by being the setting for a couple movies,” Bob wrote, “one being ‘Emmett’s Last Stand’ in which the director used several local individuals as extras. Another was the psychological thriller ‘Phrenia.’”

He also noted that it was not unusual for Chicago network reporters to come to Weits Cafe to interview customers about political stories or get their opinions on local matters.

“Over the years our friends and acquaintances have become many, and, while we expect to be around to see them for many years to come, we’ll miss seeing them at Brenner’s Weits Cafe,” Bob wrote.