McHenry: City unsure of Fox Hole Tap & Pizzeria’s future, plans

McHenry residents have been asking on Facebook pages if the Fox Hole Tap & Pizzeria at Route 120 and Riverside Drive will reopen.

In a Facebook Messenger response to Northwest Herald questions about the apparent closure of the longtime local watering hole, owner Lianna Zimmerman said the ongoing scrutiny online, combined with her health issues, have made her “an emotional wreck.”

Before Zimmerman’s response, the building’s owner, contacted by the Northwest Herald, and McHenry officials said they had not been able to contact Zimmerman.

Nick Kubiak, McHenry County Department of Health community information coordinator, said The Fox Hole has been operating with “variable hours for a while” and that the department has not closed the restaurant.

The Fox Hole, however, currently has a conditional permit to operate, Kubiak said in an email. “We have notified the [business] owner that an inspection is required prior to the expiration of the conditional permit on January 11 [2024]. The purpose of the inspection will be to determine if the regular permit can be reinstated.”

The department’s food safety inspection results indicate that at the last inspection Dec. 11, the restaurant had several violations, including not having a Certified Food Protection Manager present, an unaccessible hand-washing sink and improper food storage, among several other citations.

McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett said he and others at the city have attempted to determine the restaurant’s status. Jett also noted that while the pizzeria’s liquor license “is paid up” a closure would revoke that license.