Zettlmeier's Open All Night Ahead Of Fat Tuesday Rush

TINLEY PARK, IL — Zettlmeier's Bakerei, at 17016 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park, will have someone making paczkis all-night long Monday into Tuesday, Feb. 25, to make sure there are enough for the intense demand come Fat Tuesday, or as many with a sweet tooth call it, "Paczki Day." They will be open all night long too for anyone looking to beat the rush.

The all-nighter after midnight on Fat Tuesday has become commonplace in recent years at Zettlmeier's as Paczki Day has grown in popularity.

"We've had customers here as early as 3 a.m., and we'll be here all night so it's fine to come anytime if you work that early," owner Dawn Zettlmeier said. "We always stay open all night (on Fat Tuesday morning) because our paczkis are make fresh. It takes an around the clock crew to get that done."

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Zettlmeier's, a mainstay for 41 years in Tinley Park, is one of the few bakeries that still makes "an old-fashioned paczki," Zettlmeier said.

"Rather than being cut and filled, the raw dough is filled and fried with the filling inside," she said.

Popular flavors are strawberry and apricot, among others.

The business is normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and opens for the week at 5 a.m. on Wednesdays.