March 28, 2024
McHenry County | Northwest Herald


McHenry County

Andy's Restaurant in Crystal Lake reopens to curbside and carryout service after temporary closure due to COVID-19

Andy's Restaurant in Crystal Lake reopened Friday to curbside and pickup service after temporarily closing earlier this month when multiple employees tested positive for COVID-19.

“We’ve missed you all and are looking forward to moving past this recent setback,” a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page said. “We appreciate your continued support and we cannot wait to get back to serving our wonderful community.”

As previously reported by the Northwest Herald, the restaurant, when it first announced its temporary closure, said it was working with the health department and hiring a sanitizing company to deep clean the entire building.

Andy's Restaurant had been one of many restaurants in McHenry County that went against the state's recent ban on indoor dining because of rising coronavirus rates in the area. It was also part of a lawsuit, along with 37 other McHenry County restaurants, hoping to bring the state's COVID-19 mitigation plans to a halt and allow those restaurants to continue serving customers indoors. This lawsuit was later denied.

On social media, some applauded the restaurant for initially fighting the mandate, saying it was needed for the owners to pay their bills and employees' paychecks. Others called the decision "ignorant," "selfish" and "irresponsible" in the face of worsening COVID-19 metrics.

However, now, Andy’s will only be offering curbside and pickup service, according to their Facebook page.

In a response to a request for comment, the restaurant's owners said they have no further comment at this time.