FF_070519

16 | July 5, 2019 | the frankfort station dining out
frankfortstation.com
The Dish
Gina’s Teardrop Cafe big on serving community
Sean Hastings
Contributing Editor
Veterans eat for free
from 6:30-8 a.m. on the
last Monday of every
month at Gina’s Teardrop
Cafe in New Lenox. It has
been that way for approximately
two years.
“When my father passed
and we were at the cemetery,
everybody there
volunteers, and it just gave
me the inspiration that we
need to do something,”
owner Gina Buck said.
“It’s a big turnout. And
their stories are unreal.
It has turned into a great
event that we do.”
Gina said it is nice to
see new faces show up
for the veterans breakfast
who then continue to come
APRIL BLAIR
Broker
back and eventually become
regulars.
The cafe also welcomes
in an art class from Martino
Junior High School
in New Lenox to paint the
front windows three times
a year to coincide with
the different seasons and
holidays. It also does food
drives during Thanksgiving
and toy drives during
the Christmas season.
“Anytime we can chip
in, we donate,” Buck said.
“We really do try to give
back. Whenever we can
help somebody, we definitely
try to.”
Buck admitted that because
of the location of the
cafe — on the far west side
of town — some people
may not know it is there,
www.crisrealty.net
because they do not have
to drive that way. But she
loves where it is located
And the cafe will celebrate
six years in November.
When it first opened,
only the main dining area
existed, but a year-and-ahalf
into things, it outgrew
that space.
Luckily, the space next
door was occupied by
Kevin Molloy Insurance,
which moved to the other
end of the mall to help with
Teardrop’s expansion.
Gina’s Teardrop Cafe
serves both breakfast and
lunch. It also caters food
for different events, a service
that has become more
popular as of late. Teardrop
may even host a wedding
later in the summer.
• Lifelong resident of the
LincolnWay area
• Full time realtor since 1992
• Remodeling & staging
experience
• Professional photography
included with all listings
(815) 954-4443 Cell
april.blair@comcast.net
Gina’s Teardrop Cafe
826 W. Laraway Road
in New Lenox
Hours
• 6 a.m.-3 p.m. daily
For more information
Phone: (815) 717-
8111
Web:
ginasteardropcafe.com
On the regular menu,
the breakfast tacos ($8) are
popular, as are the biscuits
and gravy ($7 full order,
$5 half, can be topped with
two eggs any style for $1).
The menu also has some
“hidden gems” in their
specials section. Special
#3 — which is one egg any
style, a cup of fruit, a side
of avocado and a piece of
toast ($8) — has become a
popular item, as well.
“When we did the menu
revision four months ago
to update it, that is one
that gets a lot of orders,”
said Gina’s husband and
co-owner, Ken. “We try to
stay current.”
Gina said if they think
of something good, they
will put it up as a special,
instead of regularly updating
the menu.
“We try to stay with the
trends,” she said. “Everybody’s
eating avocado.”
The Teardop Skillet
($14) has also become
a top-seller for the cafe,
which is the Meat Lover
Skillet (sausage, bacon,
ham, onions, green peppers,
cheddar and mozzarella
cheese) topping with
homemade country gravy
and biscuits.
The cafe also sells alcohol
now, with drinks like
Bloody Mary’s and mimosas
on offer.
The Teardrop Skillet ($14) at Gina’s Teardrop Cafe can
be served with toast or pancakes. It is the Meat Lovers
Skillet with the addition of homemade country gravy
and biscuits. Photos by Sean Hastings/22nd Century
Media
Special #3 ($8) at Gina’s Teardrop Cafe in New Lenox is
one egg any style, a cup of fruit, a side of avocado and
a piece of toast.
“It’s something new for
us that has really taken
off,” Gina said. “It’s another
thing that helps keep
us current, because people
are doing that.”
As far as what the future
holds for Gina’s Teardrop
Cafe, Ken wants to focus
on each years as it comes,
while continuing to grow
the veterans breakfast,
community work and the
catering side of the business.
“For the military breakfast,
we’ve had customers
come in and see that and
want to contribute,” Ken
said. “We had [a veteran]
from Pennsylvania as a
traveler come, give us a
card and said he’d like to
help offset the cost we incur
from the breakfast. We
sent him a card back and a
picture of what we provide
here.”
Other customers, especially
around the holidays,
have shown interest in
helping out with the veteran’s
breakfast, too, Ken
said.