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That the term Jamie Littell (pictured above), owner of Moe Joe’s Caribbean restaurant in downtown Plainfield, is using when the venue donates food to health care workers and first responders – 38 organizations so far, Littell said. Next up to be Moe Joe’d: the restaurant's employees. From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 12, Moe’s Joe’s will host “Fat Tuesday Quarantine.” Customers can order food by phone and online for pickup. All proceeds that day will be distributed among Moe Joe’s 60 employees, of whom only 17 are currently working, Littell said. Employees will wear protective masks and Mardi Gras masks and provide window markers so people can write they’ve been “Moe Joe’d.” “We’re trying to make it festive, something fun to do,” Littell said. No third party delivery option will be available that day, she said. Another local business, The Forge, is also raising money for its employees through GoFundMe at bit.ly/3dsGAxI. So far The Forge has raised $1,410 of its $10,000 goal.
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Although the carryout portion of Moe Joe’s is doing well, that doesn’t help the employees who aren’t working right now - the bus boys, bouncers, bartenders and waitresses – workers without roles in a carryout model. Littell, pictured with some of her employees, said she did apply for a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program. Some of her employees did not qualify for unemployment, and some haven’t received it yet. “The site crashes, no cards and no one to call,” Littell said. “What can you do that point? You take matters into your own hands and try to help them somehow, help them pay a bill. I don’t know how much money we’ll make but I hope it’s a good amount so that it takes some stress off. And I can’t wait. I think it will end up being crazy busy. I really want them to see how much people care.” Littell, who said she is currently not taking a salary from her own business, understands her employees’ plight. She and her husband Stuart (deceased) opened Moe Joe’s almost 16 years ago when she was 25 and their first child was 6 months old. “We were in our 20s and insane,” Littell said. “We thought we could do anything we wanted. I got a very small loan because of all these ‘women in business’ loans at the time. We started small. It was only, maybe, six or eight employees at the time, six tables and eight seats at the bar. We only had a few menu items and it grew from there.”
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Littell said she and Stuart, who died in 2019, bought a house in Plainfield “because we wanted a bunch of kids and we wanted them to go to Plainfield schools and be close to the restaurant,” she said. But although the couple had the house, they could not afford the house, she said. “The house was completely bare, no furniture for years and years,” Littell said. “We just got super creative. We decorated with the kids’ artwork. We loved it but it was embarrassing when people came over. There was nowhere to sit. We sat on the floor; we ate on the floor.” When the building next door to Moe Joe’s became available, the couple bought it because the restaurant had grown to the point of expansion, Little said. “So we kept growing it and accumulating debt,” Littell said. “Finally we got the debt paid off. We have a little money now.” She also recalled the time when she took out a loan to keep Moe Joe’s going when Lockport street was shut downtown Plainfield was remodeled, she said. Littell can’t imagine parting with Moe Joe’s. “It becomes a crazy was of life that’s addicting. I love it,” Littell said. “I love people and I love seeing them happy and I love seeing the smiles on their faces when they want your food and your drinks and they’re having the time of their lives. You get to create that atmosphere. I can’t picture life any other way.” When Littell hands people their carryout bag she keeps the atmosphere lighthearted; she imagines their smiles as they drive away. Her two older children, ages 16 and 14, help care for the two younger children, ages 6 and 3, so Littell can keep working ,she said. “They’ve been a big help,” she said. Many people don't understand that some restaurants, such as Moe Joe's, don't make profits on the food; they make them at the bar, with drinks sold by the glass: the draft beer and "all those crazy drinks we make," Littell said. "That's where the profit it," Littell said. "The passion is behind the food. But as long as we can sustain ourselves to get through this, we'll be OK."
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IF YOU GO WHAT: Mardi Gras Quarantine WHEN: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 12 WHERE: 24033 W Lockport St Plainfield ETC: Carryout only. No third party delivery. All proceeds benefit Moe Joe's employees ORDER: Call 815-230-2790 or visit eatmoejoes.com. . (All photos)