Mooyah: Free Fries, If You Donate Non-Perishable Item
JOLIET, IL — One of Joliet's most popular hamburger restaurants is giving away free fries to customers who help the community's less fortunate during the new coronavirus pandemic. Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes franchise manager Rob Sterioti has a stand set up inside for customers willing to donating food and household supplies.
Donations are being delivered to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, a mile-and-a-half away, on Joliet's Larkin Avenue, Sterioti said.
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On Friday, bottles of Lysol, cans of chicken noodle soup, chicken broth, peanut butter, barbecue sauce, Chef Boyardee mini raviolis, toilet paper rolls and apple cider vinegar were among the products Mooyah customers have donated to the Joliet restaurant at 2611 West Jefferson St.
Customers who make a donation receive a free order of hand cut or sweet potato fries. "If you bring in six cans, we'll give you six fries," Sterioti remarked.
Amid the coronavirus, Sterioti said he embraced the donation program to help Joliet's Northern Illinois Food Bank because so many people in the area have lost their job or are struggling financially because of the economic slowdown caused by the health crisis.
A number of Joliet area restaurants have embraced the first responder program, providing free meals to Joliet firefighter/paramedics, police officers and staff at the AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center and Silver Cross Hospital.
However, Mooyah's approach has been to help the community's less fortunate during these difficult economic times when unemployment has skyrocketed.
"I just think we can go a step further," Sterioti told Patch.
"We're just trying to do our part, and we thought, 'If we could just get our guests involved.' It's not really a promotion in the true sense. We're not making any money off it."
Sterioti's only request is that customers make sure the items they are donating to Mooyah "are something that's not going to expire."
He said that several customers have donated toilet paper rolls.
Mooyah's manager told Joliet Patch he may move the nonperishable donation station outside the restaurant and let people "just work off the honor system."
Sterioti said that business has remained strong at the Joliet Mooyah throughout the coronavirus pandemic. He has rearranged the tables and chairs throughout the restaurant and made sure that employees are wearing protective masks and constantly sanitizing the counters and other parts of the restaurant.
"It's a great location, and we were doing really well until all this started," he said. "But, we are still doing better than a lot of folks out there right now."
Mooyah is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Customers can walk inside to place their carryout order. Mooyah also uses Grubhub, Uber Eats and DoorDash.
"We're still open our usual hours. The only thing that's really changed is we don't have a dining room right now," Sterioti told Joliet Patch.
He said that even though Mooyah is an international restaurant franchise, "We try to be part of the community." The area manager said he lives in nearby Shorewood, and Mooyah employs several high school students who attend Joliet West and Joliet Central.
Mooyah opened its Joliet location in 2015. There are 77 restaurants in the U.S. and eight international locations. To check out the full menu,visit Mooyah's website here.
"This is the one that has lasted," Sterioti said of the Joliet restaurant. "It's the only one in Illinois."
Amid the pandemic, Sterioti said that all restaurant customers want "to see safe."
"What does safe look like?" he asked. "The business is constantly changing. Our focus, 'What is the restaurant going to look like in June and December?' I don't think it's going to be good enough to have a great restaurant."
Moving forward amid the health crisis, Sterioti said he would not be surprised if his Joliet Mooyah decides to reduce half its seating capacity, for example.
"I think that's going to matter to guests," he said.
Related:
Illinois Coronavirus Update May 10: 3,406 Deaths
Reopening Illinois: 6 Things You Should Know
Silver Spoon Returns After 8-Week Shutdown
This article originally appeared on the Joliet Patch
