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Libertyville Bakers Square closes as result of corporate reorganization

Bakers Square, a longtime local favorite for pies and other fare, has closed its Libertyville location as a result of a corporate reorganization.

The business at 1195 S. Milwaukee Ave. on the village's southern border closed last Friday, according to a notice on the door from American Blue Ribbon Holdings LLC, of Nashville, Tennessee, which operates Bakers Square.

"After very careful consideration, we have made the tough but necessary decision to discontinue operations at the Libertyville location," the message reads. "This is never an easy decision to make and one driven by many business factors."

American Blue Ribbon also operates Village Inn restaurants, which has 75 company-owned locations and 84 franchised locations. It also operates Legendary Baking LLC, which produces 25 million pies a year at two facilities.

Citing declining sales, American Blue Ribbon on Wednesday announced it had filed for voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Delaware. Nine Bakers Square and 24 Village Inn stores were closed.

Twenty-two Bakers Square restaurants, including locations in Gurnee, Palatine, Naperville and Woodridge remain open, according to the company website.

The most recent announcement follows Bakers Square closings last year in Illinois that included Wilmette, Willowbrook and Joliet, said Heather Rowe, Libertyville's economic development coordinator.

"We're very sorry to see Bakers Square close," she said. "They've served the community many hearty meals and pies over the years and also supported organizations through fundraising and for that we are grateful."

Bakers Square began in the early 1970s as an independent restaurant in Des Moines serving soups, sandwiches and "some of the most incredible pies anyone in the area had ever tasted," according to American Blue Ribbon.

Its reputation for fresh baked pies spread and Pillsbury bought the restaurant and opened more like it. The free-standing Libertyville facility was built in 1975 and opened as a Poppin' Fresh.

"I remember as a kid, it being Poppin' Fresh," said Jim Moran, a Green Oaks resident and former Libertyville village trustee. "I used to love to collect the pie tins and take them back for our deposit."

The sudden closing generated dozens of comments on a community Facebook page.

Lincolnshire resident John McCrae frequented the restaurant for decades and would still visit a few times a month in memory of his late wife.

"My wife used to like to come here on pie nights," he said. "I'll really miss the place - this was nostalgia. I'm shocked."

American Blue Ribbon said all employees were relocated or offered severance packages.

The company said the reorganization will facilitate Bakers Square and Village Inn's evolution to a "healthy core of restaurants."

  The Bakers Square restaurant in Libertyville closed on Friday as part of a corporate reorganization. "I'll really miss the place - this was nostalgia. I'm shocked," said longtime customer John McCrae of Lincolnshire. Mick Zawislak/mzawislak@dailyherald.com
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