Steady Business for Fox's Pub on Opening Day, Manager Says

Fox's Restaurant & Pub opened for business Thursday, and business was brisk despite the cold weather, general manager Mark Low said.

"It's been nice and steady," Low said.

The restaurant, at 14206 S. U.S. 30, had "soft" openings Saturday and Tuesday, and will settle into a steady Monday-through-Sunday schedule that has them opening at 11 a.m. daily and closing somewhere between 11 p.m. and midnight for now.

Low said the staff wants to get a feel for its customers before determining how late the restaurant will be open on weeknights and weekends. Fox's has a full liquor license that lets it stay open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Although new to the western suburbs, Fox's is well established on the South Side of Chicago and the southern suburbs. The family-run restaurant, still owned by Tom and Therese Fox, was founded in 1964 in Chicago's Beverly community. Their other locations are in Orland Park and Oak Lawn.

Although pizza is Fox's claim to fame, using a thin crust recipe that Low says they haven't change in more than 40 years, the restaurant offers a full menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees. Many are Irish, a nod to the family's heritage, including shepherd's pie, Guinness pot pie and corned beef and cabbage on Sundays.

The newly built, free-standing eatery can seat 150 diners and another 75 people around the bar, which is located in the center of the room, Low said.

While it's mainly a family restaurant, many people will come to the bar area later in the evening just for drinks, he said.

For Low, who says he's opened 28 restaurants in England, Australia and the United States, the nice thing about Fox's is it doesn't require much advertising.

"Everyone knows the Foxes," he said. "They're good people, and their food sells itself."