Small Family Business in the Spotlight – Shanahan’s Food & Spirits

Shanahan’s Food & Spirits is beginning their 23rd year as a small family business in the great community of Woodridge. Established in 1999, the business began with a focus on service. During a recent luncheon meeting with Proprietor Rich Moore and his daughter Amanda Pappas (President), I couldn’t help but to ask: What makes Shanahan’s so special? Rich Moore replied, “Good Old-Fashioned Family Values. We look at our establishment as if it were our home. It’s about creating a warm, welcoming, and enjoyable experience – like you’re sitting at someone’s dining room table or in someone’s living room.” “We take pride in serving delicious, homemade recipes. We hand make our half-pound Angus burgers, fresh to order. Our soups and chili are homemade and we are one of the few places to serve broasted chicken (never fried). Not to mention, our fries are fresh-cut and not frozen and we batter our own onion rings, strings and Cod for our Irish Fish and Chips. Make sure to check out our Burger Mondays, where our half-pound Angus cheeseburgers are on special with fresh-cut fries for $7.95,” added Amanda.

When asked what else makes Shanahan’s so special, Rich said “I believe we have one of the best live music venues in the suburbs! We offer four nights of live music with some of the best musicians around.”

• Wednesday – ShanAcoustic Jam with Shukin and Dr. Dave Rios. An acoustic open mic format. Bring you guitar and voice and be a part of the good vibes.
• Thursday – ProJam presented by Geoffrey Lowe. The 1st hour features Shanahan’s House band which is then followed by a professional open mic program with some of the best musicians not only the area but the country.
• Friday – Piano Bar with Dave Rice. This sing-a-long format that is notably one of the best piano bar experiences you will find.
• Saturday – Live Bands including the world-acclaimed CoverGirls Violin Show, and regional bands including Vintage Vinyl, The Danhattans, Duck & Cover, The Niche’, Just Friends, Scramble, Claremont Drive and so many more.

It’s easy to check out the entertainment venue as Shanahan’s has two Facebook pages. The main Facebook page features specials and live music events (facebook.com/shanahanspub). They also have a second page which features their live music (facebook.com/shanahans.live).

If the walls could talk, you’d hear that Shanahan’s is a great community gathering place. From serving up some delicious food and spirits to hosting community fundraisers, birthday parties, anniversaries, retirement parties, baby showers, Shanahan’s opens its doors and is grateful to be that special place! Rich further stated that they are grateful for their loyal customers, dedicated staff and to the Village of Woodridge for making this success possible. It was interesting that most of their staff members have been with them between 5 and 18 years. Shanahan’s shows their appreciation to their loyal employees by offering a matching 401K program, something that is very rare in the restaurant industry. “We are grateful how our employees take care of our customers, and in turn, we like to make sure we take care of them,” says Rich.

I asked how has your restaurant survived a recession, Covid, the horrific Tornado and our recent challenging economic times? He replied “It Takes a Village ... the Village of Woodridge, our loyal customers, our dedicated staff, our family of world-class musicians, the Woodridge Rotary and the VFW Post all working together to help each other. There’s something very special about this community, says Rich Moore, “We all come together for a greater purpose and cause – helping those in need and supporting small business,”

Let’s begin with the Village of Woodridge. “We are truly grateful for the leadership of Mayor Gina Cunningham.” She leads with a kind and serving heart and is relentless in getting things done! This was evident in her immediate response to the EF3 tornado that devastated our community. It was Mayor Gina’s mission to make sure every individual, every family and every business received the support they needed. Her serving spirit and orchestration of volunteer resources and everyday people and businesses led the community with grace through a very devastating time – Neighbors helping Neighbors program. Shanahan’s was grateful to not be impacted by the tornado and provided meals to the American Red Cross, delivered and prepared meals with the Rotary and hosted a fundraiser in conjunction with Woodridge Rotary and with the support of Jim & Diana Lyons (Just Friends Band) that raised thousands of dollars. This rolling fundraiser enabled Shanahan’s to adopt 3 families and directly assist them through these tough times. We all worked together to provide the much-needed love and support to those impacted.

The Mayor and the Board of Trustees made the difference for small business survival in difficult times as well as provide the opportunity to thrive in good times. The Board of Trustees modified the various business platforms to allow outside seating and permit tents during Covid. “This was crucial to our survival,” emphasized Rich. I think that everyone would agree that the last several years have been a most difficult time to operate a small business. The current Woodridge Board of Trustees has recognized how to work with Businesses to get things done and make us competitive. They ask tough questions and listen to the needs of our business community and that is what makes them special.

Ten years ago, Rich Moore offered to host VFW Post 1578 meetings at Shanahan’s. This allowed our War Veterans to host many fund raisers in addition to holding regular meetings at a place they could call home. Prior to this the meetings were hosted in various business platforms. Since this change, membership and fund raising has grown, including the VFW Scholarship program. Shanahan’s is honored to be a part of this great work.

Shanahan’s currently hosts the Woodridge Rotary Club’s monthly social meetings. Last month, Mayor Gina Cunningham recognized Shanahan’s for their dedication to serving our neighbors and community at a time of great need. Both Rich Moore and his daughter Amanda Pappas (President of Shanahan’s) received special Proclamations in recognition of their service to the community.

“It’s all about family and service above self, said Rich. “We consider our loyal customers and our staff our family and our community as our extended family,” added Amanda. If there’s one theme that resonated throughout the interview, it would be that Shanahan’s is grateful and ready to continue their legacy of service.

Rich added one more comment “These ARE the good old days!” I personally invite you to stop by and experience all that this small family business has to offer. Come see for yourself what makes them so special.

Shanahan’s Food & Spirits

1999 75th St., Woodridge, IL 60517

(630) 985-5945

www.shanahanspub.com