New Joliet location of Fry the Coop granted class E liquor license ahead of grand opening

The Joliet City Council on July 15 approved issuance of a Class E liquor license to Fry the Coop for a location at 2611 West Jefferson, allowing limited alcohol sales. Owner Joe Fontana attended the meeting and thanked the council and city staff for assistance obtaining business and liquor licenses.

Fontana said the Jefferson Street location is the chains tenth Fry the Coop and that beer sales account for a small portion of overall revenue. "We just sell beer... it's a really small portion of our sales, less than half a percent," he said, adding the business plans to feature canned beer and to support local breweries.

Fontana said the location has been in a soft opening phase and that a television morning segment and grand opening are planned; he and city staff are coordinating a ribbon-cutting. The motion to approve the license carried with unanimous recorded votes: Councilwoman Sherry Reardon, Aye; Councilman Juan Cardenas, Aye; Councilman Joe Clement, Aye; Councilman Larry Hugg, Aye; Councilwoman Maria Navarro, Aye; Councilman Juan Moreno, Aye; Councilman Mudrin, Aye; Councilwoman Coleman, Aye; Mayor Terry Darcy, Aye.

The license approval permits the new restaurant to sell alcoholic beverages under the City of Joliets classification for a Class E license; Fry the Coop representatives said beer will be limited and locally sourced when possible. The owner said he is a Downers Grove resident and expressed enthusiasm about joining Joliet's dining scene.