This Romeoville restaurant is thinking right inside the box

Last week, McWethy’s Tavern in Romeoville launched its line of frozen TV dinners and “knocked it out of the park,” Jim Koklas, director of food and beverage said.

“We made 100 and sold 100 by Friday,” Koklas said. “So we had none left for the weekend.”

Koklas said the concept gives customers another way to enjoy their favorite entrees (or try new ones) despite the mitigation measures on dining out.

"I saw the uptick in the frozen food section in grocery stores and wondered if that was an avenue our restaurant could take," Koklas said.

People who grew up in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s will recall the popularity of ready-made, individually portioned frozen dinners.

Many families still enjoy them today, according to a news release from McWethy’s Tavern.

“We knew the concept was an American classic and throwback, but you don’t hear about frozen TV dinners very often,” Dan Casey executive chef at McWethy’s Tavern, said in a news release. “We figured, families are busy, and we could take the worry out of making dinner.”

Menu staples will be the pot roast dinner, roasted pork, Mediterranean chicken and chicken piccata. Every meal features a main course, side, dessert, and can stay in the freezer for up to 90 days.

Koklas said the McWethy’s Tavern team did some “thinking through” of the types of items people would order, eat only half and then take the other half home for the next day. Koklas said they discussed the types of foods that would reheat well.

“We did extensive testing to see if it was possible to maintain our restaurant quality products through the process, and truly exceeded expectations,” Casey said in the release.

New menu items will be added periodically. This week, these include cottage pie and chicken pot pie, the release said.

McWethy’s is offering one frozen dinner especially for kids: chicken nuggets with macaroni and cheese and a chocolate chip skillet.

“It’s actually free when you buy two adult entrees,” Koklas said.

Prices for the adult meals range from $14 to $16 per dinner, which is less than the same meals when dining in, Koklas said.

For instance, the chicken piccata is $22 when ordered at the restaurant and only $14 when ordered as a frozen dinner, he added.

The TV dinners option simply the latest in a long line of ideas McWethy’s Tavern has initiated during the pandemic to keep their patrons connected with their food.

Another meal option is the December SOUPMAS daily soup menu along with McWethy's Tavern SOUPscription  For $29 a month, customers receive four 32-ounce containers of chef-made soup per month, according to a news release from McWethy's Tavern.

All four containers must be picked up within that month. The option does not carry over to the next month, the release said.

Choices include soup of the day (if available), cream of chicken and rice, tomato basil, and broccoli cheddar or other selections  from the SOUPMAS calendar such as ham and white bean soup (Dec. 11), lobster bisque (Dec. 15), lasagna (Dec. 19) and New England clam chowder (Dec. 23), the release said.

Koklas said McWethy’s Tavern has also held drive-thru fish fries, virtual cooking classes, family meals and dining clubs. The tavern has also sold eggs, milk and bread at the tavern’s cost .

The TV dinners also makes food “fun and nostalgic” for the customers, Koklas said.

So does that mean McWethy’s Tavern will be adding Salisbury steak to its lineup?

“Not yet, but Chef and I have been thinking about that,” Koklas said. “And possibly a turkey dinner, so stay tuned.”

People can order the TV dinners online and pick them up at the restaurant. Or they may stop at the restaurant and pick them up directly without ordering in advance, Koklas said.

For now, McWethy's Tavern is not offering its TV dinners for delivery through a third party site.

To view the current lineup of TV dinners available for purchase, visit mcwethystavern.com/tvdinners.

To place orders or for more information, call 815-254-7001 or visit mcwethystavern.com.