Giovan's Pasta and Pizzeria Closing? Restaurant Equipment For Sale

JOLIET, IL — The days of being able to order food and catering options at Joliet's Giovan's restaurant on Route 59 in the Tony's Fresh Market shopping center plaza may be over. After abruptly closing around Christmas, the new owners of Giovan's who bought the restaurant in September, are now trying to sell off all of their kitchen equipment on Facebook.

Facebook Marketplace shows the new owners of Giovan's are trying to sell their dough mixer, double-freezer, prep table, a huge stove/oven, several more prep tables, coolers and dough rollers from the Giovan Jr.'s Pasta & Pizzeria.

If you're interested in purchasing the kitchen items from Giovan's, here is the Facebook Marketplace link, along with the prices. A loyal reader notified Joliet Patch's editor of this development on Friday morning after reading Patch's article surrounding the mysterious and untimely closing of Giovan's this week.

Last week, came the announcement on the Giovan's Facebook page, "We announce that we will be closed for an indefinite period of time due to personal reasons. Thank you for your support ... sincerely Cano and Arjon families."

Since that message was published on social media, it's vanished. The Giovan Jr.'s Facebook page has also disappeared.

This fall, Joliet Patch reported that Giovan's Jr. Pasta & Pizzeria on Route 59 was now under new ownership. Giovan Cullotta, who ran the restaurant for 18 years along with his mother, Vicki Schultz, sold Giovan's to two of his cooks.

In October, Joliet Patch reported that the new owners were trying to encourage more Joliet and Plainfield area residents to make them a regular stopping point for lunch. The carryout-only restaurant serving Joliet, Plainfield, Shorewood and Crest Hill and drew a large portion of its business from large scale catering orders.

On Sept. 3, Jose Cano, George Cano, Miguel Cano and Leoneo "Juan" Arjon were now operating Giovan's in the Tony's Fresh Market shopping plaza along Route 59.

Nearly four years ago, Giovan's reinvented itself as a carryout-only pasta and pizzeria, opening March 30, 2019 in the shopping center along Route 59 and Caton Farm Road anchored by the Tony's Fresh Market.

Before that, Giovan's was a long-time Italian restaurant and banquet hall in Crest Hill. Giovan's is best known for its homemade raviolis, lasagna, pastas and pizzas.

On Thursday night, in search of answers, Joliet Patch's editor drove to Giovan's and found there was nobody inside the restaurant, and no signs are posted on the doors or windows alerting potential customers that Giovan's is closed, temporarily or permanently.

Right now, the business hours posted on the front door continue to give customers the false impression that Giovan's remains open as usual, until 9 p.m., even though that's clearly not true.

"What Happen to Giovan's Pastas and Pizza? Seems to be closed," someone posted on Brian Bessler's Joliet restaurant group on Thursday.

Here's a handful of other responses from Bessler's Facebook page:

"I think they're permanently closed. The original owners sold a few mos. Ago. Sad to see local businesses going under."

"Wow... so weird. We ordered food for Christmas eve, it was very good."

"I tried calling them today, it just rang and rang. Their food was so good too!!!!"

"Unless you’re intimately connected, no one knows what the deal is."

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Cooks Acquire Giovan's Restaurant, Changes Underway

Giovan's Made Transition To Carryout Before Coronavirus