Plainfield Maple Butter Cafe owner serves up decades of experience

A Plainfield restaurant open for only six months recently was recognized as a Yelp Beloved Business.

Luis Rodriguez, manager at Maple Butter Cafe in Plainfield, recently showed off the framed Yelp certificate from Nov. 1.

“Not many people get those good reviews,” he said.

Maple Butter Cafe owner Jim Letsos shared his recipe for success.

“The whole secret of the business – for me, at least – is quality, quality, quality: quality food, quality service, quality hospitality,” the 74-year-old Letsos said. “We work together as a team to please every customer that’s come in, to enjoy their meals and leave with a good impression.”

The Maple Butter Cafe is a “casual, family-style pancake house serving breakfast and lunch seven days a week,” according to its Facebook page, with many variations on omelets, crepes, pancakes, waffles and a variety of handheld entrees.

Dishes are “made from scratch” in the Maple Butter Cafe kitchen, using “farm-fresh vegetables and herbs” that are delivered daily, according to the Maple Butter Cafe website.

But Maple Butter Cafe also has an extensive lunch menu, including everything from burgers, paninis and sandwiches to classic Greek meals and even sea bass.

“And we have a lot of salads,” said Letsos, who has poured decades of his experience into Maple Butter Cafe.

“My goal is to do a good job and be with people. All these people are nice to me. And I’m just trying to pay them back with the same kindness.”

—  Jim Letsos, owner of Maple Butter Cafe in Plainfield

A lifetime of serving good food

In 1967, at the age of 18, Letsos left Greece for Montreal, Canada, where he started working as a busboy at a local restaurant.

He then came to Chicago to work with his brother at a fast-food restaurant for the next eight years. He also worked at the former Diana Greek restaurant on Halstead in Chicago.

In 1977, Letsos opened Andrea’s restaurant in Forest Park, and then he opened Downer’s Delite in 1995 in Downers Grove. He followed that by opening Plainfield Delite in 2009 at the same location where Maple Butter Cafe is now, 24020 W. 119th St.

Eventually, Letsos sold all of his businesses and retired. Two other owners then opened and closed restaurants at the Plainfield location, Letsos said.

When the second restaurant closed, Letsos came out of retirement to open Maple Butter Cafe since he owned the property and the building, he said.

“I had property taxes and insurance. I couldn’t keep it closed,” Letsos said. “We’ve been here close to a year since I took it over. I haven’t missed a day.”

Letsos started creating a new menu and renovating the building a year ago before opening Maple Butter Cafe in June. He gave enormous credit to Rodriguez for Maple Butter Cafe’s menu and website updates.

“We work together,” Letsos said. “I drive Luis crazy, but we get it done.”

But Letsos' partner in everything is his wife, Olga Letsos.

“We’ve been married 52 years,” Letsos said. “She’s my angel, my everything.”

Specialties at the cafe

Reese’s Pieces, Oreo and s’mores are three specialty pancakes at Maple Butter Cafe, and the lemon blueberry waffle and chicken and waffles are equally delicious, Jim Letsos said.

Customers can order a $4.99 combo by adding two eggs, any style, with bacon and sausage links or ham to crepes, French toast, pancakes (small stack) or waffles, Letsos said.

Other Maple Butter Cafe specialties include the lox platter (thinly smoked salmon, tomatoes, red onion, and capers served with a toasted bagel and cream cheese) and avocado toast (two slices of nine-grain toast topped with smashed avocado, grape tomatoes, arugula, citrus balsamic glaze, poached eggs and everything bagel seasoning).

Maple Butter Cafe also serves nine varieties of skillets and eight “benedicts,” Jim Letsos said.

Letsos said popular entrees include the breakfast tacos with carnitas (Mexican pork), the breakfast taco bowl and the down home breakfast bowl: creamy country gravy loaded with crumbled sausage ladled over a biscuit topped with cheesy scrambled eggs and served over seasoned home fries or hash browns.

The al pastor omelets, skillet or tacos include marinated pork, onion, pineapple and pepper jack cheese, Letsos said.

The beef in the dishes is certified Angus beef, and the gyro meat is cooked on a spit, Letsos said.

“Everything is made to order,” he said.

But with so many choices, does Maple Butter Café have any menu items that aren’t moving?

“Everything is moving, actually,” Rodriquez said.

A passion for customer service

Rodriquez said the food moves because Letsos cares about customers.

“Jimmy is always making sure things are right,” Rodriguez said. “When the food comes out, he has the customer taste it to make sure nothing is missing, or he’ll make it a different way to fix it. He always finds a way to make it work, whatever they want.”

Letsos said staff even knows to wipe the grill or cook meat separately in a frying pan for customers with allergies.

“I never want to say, ‘We can’t,’” Letsos said in terms of customers needing customized dishes.

Letsos said he typically arrives hours before Maple Butter Cafe opens at 7 a.m. seven days a week.

He checks the building inside and out, making sure everything is neat and in order for customers, including sufficient paper products in the bathrooms, he said.

Anyone who gets Letsos talking about Maple Butter Cafe can hear the pride in his voice as he describes its amenities.

“I’m proud of what I’m doing,” Letsos said. “I get in my car, and I can’t wait to get here and meet all these nice people. It makes me happy. … I’m proud to meet my goals – and my goal is to do a good job and be with people. All these people are nice to me. And I’m just trying to pay them back with the same kindness.”

Maple Butter Cafe is located at 24020 W 119th St. in Plainfield and is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

For more information, call 779-234-9985 or visit themaplebuttercafe.com.