When Happy Joe’s, a local fixture for many decades, closed its doors for the last time on Saturday, it did so on owner Heather Avery’s terms. She was all smiles when she passed one, sometimes two free pizzas through the drive-thru window.
Over the course of about three hours, a steady stream of cars made their way through the drive-thru. Customers offered condolences on the closing and she thanked them all for their support. For Avery, selling $32 large pizzas to people struggling to make ends meet was never anything she wanted to do.
“Being a franchise owner is extremely difficult,” she said in between passing pizzas through the window.
Franchise owners are under strict rules and when Avery offered specials such as large pizzas for $19.99, it would affect the business’s bottom line and frustrated the corporation, she said.
Many times she made just enough to make her payroll and pay food costs, but when the company changed suppliers, even that became a challenge.
“It was even hard to get a lot of the food,” she said. “I was discouraged. I put myself in a lot of debt just to keep it going.”
Several factors played a role in her decision to purchase the franchise back in 2022. Long-time general manager Bob Plum died. Plum was a mentor and father figure to her and she wanted to continue the business in his honor. When he died, she became the general manager and keeping the Kewanee business open for her customers and her employees, many who had been with her for years, influenced her decision. So when she was told she had a short time to make up her mind, she took the leap. The alternative, she said, was that the Kewanee restaurant would be wrapped into the bankruptcy filed by the company in 2022.
But dealing with the franchise became an ordeal. Avery admits she is a rebel, and in fact, even though she owns all of the food inventory, the company had no idea of her plan to use it up by passing out free pizzas.
She did attempt to save the restaurant with a deal to sell it to one of her friends, but that plan fell through and when she signed the temporary transfer of ownership, she gave up her power to make decisions and gave up a week’s worth of revenue. She learned on Thursday that the sale wasn’t happening, but said she has no hard feelings.
“She did try. She was heartbroken from the decision,” said Avery.
Avery said letting the business go was the hardest decision she ever made.
“I wanted to carry on Bob’s legacy,” she said.
The day she announced the restaurant’s closing, she cried for most of it, she said. It wasn’t until she made the decision to pass out free food on Saturday that she was finally able to sleep.
She opened the drive-thru window at 10:45 a.m. and within a half hour, she had given away 32 pizzas, sometimes throwing in a bag of alfredo sauce and bottles of free Happy Joe’s Taco Sauce for good measure.
“We’ll go to pasta when we’re done,” she said. “We’re going out with a bang.”
Her employees joined her that day, jumping in to do whatever needed to be done. Working to put out the pizzas were Kamya Powe, Remmy Minks, and Andy Reatherford. The main cook and her reliable assistant, John Minks, churned out pizzas, while her other employees chipped in to get them to the window.
The crew has become a family, Avery said, and worked together to keep the restaurant open.
“We made it longer than we thought,” she said.
About three hours into the day Avery announced on social media that they were done. The remaining supplies she will donate, she said. The canned goods will go to the food pantry, toys from the game room will be donated to a church, and any remaining items she will find someone, such as the women’s shelter, who can use them.
“This is a way to give back to my community,” she said. “Because that’s always been my favorite thing about owning a restaurant.”
During a snowstorm over the winter, Avery made news by passing out meals to seniors who couldn’t get out and were low on supplies. She also offered free meals to crews out in the frigid temperatures working to keep the roads clear.
Avery said she’s done owning franchises and will never own one again, but she loves being a business owner and already has plans to start a new venture in town.
“I plan to open a children’s boutique hopefully in the fall,” said Avery.
While Avery is disheartened that she’s the last owner in the line for Kewanee’s Happy Joes, she hopes that’s not what people remember her for.
“If it’s the last thing that I’m remembered for,” said Avery, “it will be giving away free pizzas.”
A GoFundMe has been started to help Avery recover from the business loss. To donate, click here.
***This copy was edited to correct the spelling of Bob Plum’s name.
