After 54 years, Mr. A’s in Crystal Lake to close

After a little more than half a century in business, Mr. A’s Italian Beef in Crystal Lake’s last day in business will be this Friday, Dec. 31, the restaurant announced on Facebook.

Mr. A’s closure is because of owner Mick Amoroso’s health, the Tuesday afternoon Facebook post said.

“It has truly been a blessing to have served the Crystal Lake community all this time,” the post said. “You were all family to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We will miss you all.”

Mr. A’s in Crystal Lake opened at the corner of Route 14 and Dole Avenue in 1968. Back then, it was a “small place,” according to Mr. A’s website, with a counter across the front windows where people could stand and eat their sandwiches. This “beef stand,” the website said, was replaced by Mr. A’s current building in the late 1970s.

Its former owner, Bob Amoroso, whom people likened to a “big teddy bear” and “Energizer Bunny,” as previously reported by the Northwest Herald, died in March 2020.

When the pandemic began, people from the community would give donations to Mr. A’s so the restaurant could give meals to those affected by the coronavirus, such as those who had lost their jobs, or were on the front lines.

Cooking Mr. A’s last batch of beef on Tuesday while speaking to the Northwest Herald, manager Michelle Milano, who’s been working there for 22 years, said she is “heartbroken.”

What Milano will miss the most is her customers, she said.

“They’re like family to me,” she said.

Since Milano put up the Facebook post announcing Mr. A’s closure, she said, her phone has been blowing up with wonderful, sweet comments from people. In the comments, people reminisced about having their first jobs at Mr. A’s, or talked about how much they missed the Amoroso family. Many called Mr. A’s one of their favorite places to eat.

“It’s very touching,” Milano said. “I know that we are loved by the community. People would talk to us like we’re family and friends.”

“Because we were here for so many decades, we actually had generations of people grow up here,” Milano said. “Generations of people would come here to have their grandchild have their first beef here. It was a rite of passage.”

Milano’s own daughter, who grew up in Crystal Lake, was devastated by the news of such a “community staple” closing as well, she said.

“She’s been coming here since she was 1 year old,” Milano said.

Milano plans on keeping the Facebook page going for a while after Mr. A’s closes, so customers can try to stay in touch with them through there.

“We’re going to miss every single one of them,” she said.