November 21, 2024
News - Joliet and Will County

Fundraiser for employees at Plainfield restaurant runs out of food

Moe Joe’s owner said, 'It was huge and hectic and crazy'

By Denise M. Baran-Unland

During “Fat Tuesday Quarantine," customers were able to order food by phone and online for pickup, Littell said. Employees wore protective masks and Mardi Gras masks and provided window markers so people could write they’d been “Moe Joe’d.” The response was unlike Littell has ever experienced, she said. Pictured above are tickets from four minutes worth of online orders. In a text message, Moe Joe’s owner Jamie Littell said it "took three rolls of register tape and at least 45 minutes for them to print out."

During “Fat Tuesday Quarantine," customers were able to order food by phone and online for pickup, Littell said. Employees wore protective masks and Mardi Gras masks and provided window markers so people could write they’d been “Moe Joe’d.” The response was unlike Littell has ever experienced, she said. Pictured above are tickets from four minutes worth of online orders. In a text message, Moe Joe’s owner Jamie Littell said it "took three rolls of register tape and at least 45 minutes for them to print out."

People phoned in orders the day before the event. The online site crashed multiple times. (at one point, 152 orders printed in four minutes, Littell said). Traffic backed up outside for six hours. The venue ran out of food before 9 p.m. - the scheduled end of the event, she said. “We basically had to close down everything at 7:30 p.m.,” Littell said. “This has never happened to us. We’re used to being busy; we’re a busy place. We do festivals and everything...We had people at the front and people at the back when I announced we’re out of food. We could not fill any more orders.”

After Littell made that announcement, one man stepped out of his car and said, “Jamie, great job for the employees” and then began clapping. People in other cars began clapping too, she said. Many of the people who waited – sometimes up to two hours – for food, which they never received did not want refunds; they wanted the money donated to the employees, Littell said. “It blows my mind still,” Littell said.

Littell  said she was unable to open for business the next day because Moe Joe’s was out of food and carryout trays. She spent the next day message and apologizing the rest of the online orders, she said. Most were understanding; and many still wanted to donate, she said.

“And these were the people I couldn’t feed,” Littell said. “I’m so blown away, I can’t put it into words. Honestly, I’ve never cried so many happy tears in my life as I have this past week. I just can’t believe how many people will stand up and help you given the opportunity.”

People she knew dropped off cookie trays at her house, games for her kids and lots of flowers – so many flowers that “my house looks like a forest,” Littell said. “It was huge and hectic and crazy,” Littell said. “It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

All proceeds from the fundraiser will be distributed among Moe Joe’s 60 employees, of whom only 17 are currently working, Littell said in a May 8 Herald-News story. (All photos)

PlainfieldFoodRestaurant
Denise Unland

Denise M. Baran-Unland

Denise M. Baran-Unland is the features editor for The Herald-News in Joliet. She covers a variety of human interest stories. She also writes the long-time weekly tribute feature “An Extraordinary Life about local people who have died. She studied journalism at the College of St. Francis in Joliet, now the University of St. Francis.