Theodores want to keep it comfortable at the Cherry Supper Club

Pat and Jim Theodore of Ladd are the new owners of the Cherry Supper Club. They are shown with their 5-year-old granddaughter, Jessianne Theodore, next to the club's salad bar. (BCR photo/Lyle Ganther)

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CHERRY — Pat and Jim Theodore are the new owners of the Cherry Supper Club, a longtime restaurant in downtown Cherry.

“We  want to keep it comfortable for our customers and to have a casual atmosphere,” she said. “Our menu reflects (a place) where we feel people can come in with their children to celebrate birthdays or anniversaries.”

The Theodores, who have run the business since May 20, have many years of experience in the business field, but never running a restaurant.

“We always wanted to run a restaurant, and this came up,” said Pat. “We live in Ladd, and it is close for us. We ate here for many years and knew the menu and staff.”

The Theodores don’t plan on many changes in the menu, which has always been known for its chicken and salad bar.

“We added ribs, which are more tender than anything,” she added. “We have added a Sunday brunch and specials for Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

The new owners have a $1 menu for items from 4 to 6 p.m..

“Wednesdays have always been a chicken night, and we have a salad bar,” she said. “We have 26-28 salads on our bar at all times.”

The Theodores serve a full menu every night with nightly specials planned that won’t be changing.

The Cherry Supper Club also has steaks, prime rib and affordable food for all. They want to do catering outside the restaurant and inside for special occasions.

There have been many owners for the business since it opened 40 to 50 years ago, however, the name has stayed the same.

“It has always had a good reputation of good food and a place to take your family or a date,” she added.

The Cherry Supper Club’s serving hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with the bar being open from 4 p.m. until the business closes.

The Theodores don’t want to change the restaurant’s interior decor, although they would like to eventually enlarge the kitchen if money permits this endeavor.

Their son, Christopher, is one of the restaurant’s chefs. He has 16-17 years of experience being a chef in hotels and restaurants in Florida. Barry Brooks, the other chef, brings 25 years of experience to the Cherry Supper Club.

The Theodores’ goal is to build the Cherry Supper Club’s business year after year.

“The economy is bad, but we get our clientele from an area encompassing Seneca, Marseilles, Ottawa, Princeton, Mendota and Paw Paw.

They also have a Web site at www.cherry-supperclub.com, where customers can look at the restaurant’s menus and to get some history on the business.

Jim Theodore was plant manager at Sundstrand for 25 years at plants in Freeport, Ames, Iowa and LaSalle.

Pat has been a realtor for many years, first running Theodore Realty in Peru for 10 years before closing that office and now working for Realty Connections in Spring Valley as a broker.

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