Lone Star Steakhouse, Long-Time Restaurant Near Louis Mall, Abruptly Closes

JOLIET, IL - If you walk up to the front door of the Lone Star Steakhouse near the Louis mall, you'll find a piece of paper with bold black letters taped on the door's inside. The message does not project a positive vibe. Effective July 31, 2017, this location will be ceasing operation, the document plainly states.

For Lone Star Steakhouse employees or restaurant customers who have questions about the closing, the letter urges them to call the Austin, Texas, Law Offices of John Henry, private counsel, or they can ask for the firm's fellow attorneys, Brianna Corpus or Kristy Stryker. The sign on the door also contains a message to the Joliet Police Department. In the event of a break-in or a fire, they, too, should call John Henry's law firm in Texas.

As of Wednesday afternoon, word of Lone Star Steakhouse's abrupt closing here in the 2700 block of Plainfield Road wasn't widely known. A mother and daughter pulled into the Lone Star Steakhouse, rolled down their window and asked the Joliet Patch whether the restaurant was open for lunch. There were no other vehicles in the parking lot. Patch told them about the sign on the door.

Lone Star's closing marks the second straight week of bad news for one of the more popular restaurants around Joliet's Louis mall. Last Friday, Anthony's Restaurant & Pub agreed to close its doors at 2 a.m. on weekends and halt its live weekend entertainment acts in direct response to pressure from the city of Joliet Liquor Commission.

Anthony's, located in the 3100 block of Voyager, has been the site of two unrelated late-night shooting incidents since February.

Images via Joliet Patch Editor John Ferak