An Inside Look at Huntley Dairy Mart

When the Huntley Dairy Mart opened for business in 1953, its menu consisted of the typical hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream assortment. Similarly, the small town it called home remained undeveloped, with just a few businesses lining the now torn-up Route 47.

Now, despite the rural purge the city faces today, the Dairy Mart remains the popular location to cool off with a blizzard, cone, or shake. And in addition to its ice cream favorites, it still continues to serve customers a variety of sandwiches and appetizers.

“We’ve been adding to the menu over the years,” said owner Steve Grechis, who commented that the menu used to be fairly simple compared to today’s offerings.

Steve, along with his wife and two children, have been the owners of Dairy Mart since 1985, when it went up for sale. The eatery opened for business in 1953 and has been the place to eat for locals and Wisconsin-bound folk alike since then.

With a 1,100-square-foot limitation, though, standard procedure can be difficult for what Steve considers the restaurant’s biggest advantage: its employees. Dairy Mart employs on average 10 more people than it did circa 1974, when Steve first began working there as a 14-year-old Huntley High School student.

“I like doing this,” he said. “It’s in my blood.”

Steve, who used to live on Woodstock Street behind the establishment, lives today in Woodstock. He can be found at Dairy Mart almost every day and is deemed a good boss by employees Nichole Kopfer and Nick DeBartolo.

Graduates of Huntley High’s class of 2009 and 2002, respectively, both enjoy the proximity of Dairy Mart’s location to home and that it is well-known in Huntley.

“It was the best job available for me,” said DeBartolo, who is in charge of cooking, cleaning, and management duty at Dairy Mart.

Kopfer, who has worked at the small business for five years, mainly works in the front making ice cream, taking orders, and manning the cash register.

“It’s a whole slew of things,” said the 20-year-old who pointed out that working during a rush can be stressful, but the job is still fun. “You just have to take everything one step at a time.”

Inside the store is not the only circumstance in which the workers have to take things one step at a time. While construction along Route 47 this past year has taken a huge toll on local businesses, some of which were torn down, the Dairy Mart is hanging in there, Steve said.

“It could be worse,” he said. “We’re lucky we’re so established.”

Although the establishment gets busy during certain hours of the day, Steve said by sticking to the cycle of prepping, handling customer rushes, and cleaning up, the employees keep the business prospering.

“I just love my customers,” Steve said.