Vic’s Pizza and Pub, a mainstay on old Route 66 on the north side of Springfield, Ill., since 1948, recently closed its doors, reported the Springfield State Journal-Register.
The closing must have happened shortly after Valentine’s Day. Its Facebook page shows normal postings through that date, then nothing.
The newspaper reported:
“Business was slow and it caught up with us,” owner Brian Mulcahy said, referring all other questions to Marine Bank, which holds the business’s mortgage.
Springfield restaurateur Joe Rupnik said a bit of Springfield’s history passed with the closing of the business at 2025 Peoria Road, where its black-and-white checkered sign greeted travelers for decades.
“There are (Springfield) transplants when they come back to visit who have to have a Vic’s pizza, Joe (Roger’s) Chili and a horseshoe,” said Rupnik, who owned the pizza parlor for 13 years before selling it to the Mulcahy family in 2011.
The State Journal-Register also posted this bit of history:
The parlor was named after original owner Vic Fabro, who opened the business in 1948 with wife Marcy after the Springfield couple returned from visiting relatives in New York.
The Fabros brought back a souvenir — a family recipe for a homemade, thin-crust pizza dusted with cornmeal and topped with a unique sauce that became the signature dish for Vic’s Pizza.
Vic’s also served this awesome-looking “Vic’s on Route 66” pizza in an extra-large.
(Hat tip to Dave Todd)
I am so sad to hear that. One more…a place I will not have the chance to discover during my next trip. The picture of the pizza with the shield is so beautiful and give you the desire to taste it. I only hope that the owner will not regret and I wish him or her a better life because to take this kind of decision is not easy. All my best wishes for the future and I realy hope someone will re-open it again.
I’m so sad to
“All my best wishes for the future and I really hope someone will re-open it again.”
I’m with you TOULLEC. This was a stretch of 66 with a lot of promise. The State Fair Grounds, Bill Shea’s Gas Station/Museum, Vics, and the Illinois State Police (ISP) museum to the north….a lot more could have been done to promote/improve it. But with Bill’s passing, the station is open less, and now Vic’s is gone. The State is broke, and has never come up with the long promised funds for a new, permanent ISP museum. Lots of opportunities NOT exploited.
Indeed, it is a pity to let history to fade. I heard about the death of Bill Shea and saw all the tributes that have been rendered to him, but I had never met him. I would have liked to make his acquaintance. It’s sad! These are the memories of road, which will turn off and go with their stories without ever being able to replace them. I ride a part of Illinois last summer (from Chicago to Pontiac) and I planned to discover the rest this year with Missouri and Kansas. As I could not come to the Festival de Kingman (AZ), I organized my holiday according to the Springfield Festival. I have many friends in the United States who don’t understand my love for route 66 and me, I don’t understand why they are not more interested in discover this legendary route, which is part of their culture. The Europeans know much more. There’s a message currently on Facebook which quite reflects my thoughts, and that it is URGENT to pass. “Buy Local or Bye Bye Local “(Ron Hart, Route 66 Chamber of Commerce). But beware, as we say in my country, do not postpone to tomorrow what you can do today. Tomorrow it will be too late.
I am so sad that it CLOSED up because me and my grandpa liked that place so much. I hope it opens up again on October 5 2014