Local Libertyville restaurant, Pizzeria DeVille, has re-opened its doors after closing down on Sept. 5, 2023, under a new owner, Mr. JR Escobar. 

In September 2023, former owner Mr. John Durning commented that the restaurant business struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, as few people were eating in-person at small businesses. However, even after the pandemic, DeVille struggled against large pizza restaurants in the area. So, when the lease on the building expired, Durning decided it wasn’t worth it to continue operations. 

Many in the Libertyville community were saddened as it had been a staple of the town for the past nine years. But a frequent customer, JR Escobar, approached Durning about continuing the Pizzeria DeVille business.

“JR told me, ‘I love this restaurant and I’m really sad it closed,” Durning said. “‘Would you consider selling recipes, signage, so that we can reopen?’ I told him I thought that would be fine.”

Looking back on his time operating DeVille, Durning has fond memories.

“We would do field trips, whether it was with young kids, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, kids with disabilities, grownups with disabilities… We always enjoyed that,” Durning said. “I liked my staff. I really enjoyed working with them, especially because it was very rewarding for me”. 

Durning gave some words of advice to Escobar.

“Stay true to yourself,” Durning said. He believes that to have a satisfying mission, one needs to get involved in the local community. According to Durning, this will increase the chance of succeeding and the enjoyment of owning and operating the business. 

At the moment, Pizzeria DeVille is hosting brunches on the weekends, and promises to bring a sense of community with the new establishment, according to their website (pizzeriadeville.com). 

Despite multiple attempts to contact Mr. Escobar, Drops of Ink was unable to reach him.

Pizzeria DeVille is now reopened, and is operating at its usual location at 404 N Milwaukee Avenue. Store hours are 11-8pm on all days except Friday and Saturday, where the store is open 11-9.