Iconic Crystal Lake diner Around the Clock celebrates 50 years in business with 50-cent pancakes

For 50 years, the same iconic Around the Clock neon sign has stood tall along Northwest Highway in Crystal Lake, usually these days filled with a custom message shouting out favorite dishes and birthday wishes for loyal customers.

The family-owned and operated Around the Clock Restaurant and Bakery, located at 5011 Northwest Highway, has become a McHenry County landmark over the years. To celebrate it’s big 50th, the diner will have an all-you-can-eat pancake promotion for 50 cents through Saturday, May, 24.

Co-owners and brothers Steve and Fano Theofanous started out working at the restaurant when they were in high school busing tables, washing dishes and cooking. Their father, George Theofanous, who emigrated from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus to Crystal Lake in 1969, started the restaurant in Arlington Heights with a partner and soon after opened the Crystal Lake location. He ran it for six years before his sons took over.

Over the span of 50 years, more than 10 million meals have been served, Steve Theofanous said in a news release. They still have some customers who’ve been coming in since they opened on May 1, 1975.

“It gives me great joy when I see the generations come through,” he said. “A lot of people would come here with their grandparents and now they’re coming in with their kids.”

As the name suggests, the diner used to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week before modifying the hours after the night scene in the community changed. The brothers put in the hard work, working 12 hours shifts, with Steve as daytime manager and Fano working the night shift. Fano fondly remembers connecting with customers and bartenders ending their late nights from the local bars at their diner.

The brothers got the idea to celebrate 50 years from a 49-cent all-you-can-eat pancake promotion they ran in 1983.

“We even hosted an all-you-can-eat pancake contest, where the winner, Tom Schnell from Crystal Lake – who is still a regular customer – ate 28 pancakes to win the $100 prize,” Fano said in a news release.

In preparation for the celebration, the diner ordered “five times” the regular amount of pancake mix they usually order, Steve said. He estimates they will sell “thousands” of pancakes next week.

“We literally had to get another grill,” he said. “We needed to get new equipment just to keep up.”

Throughout the years, the restaurant survived challenges like a three-month closure during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and have to quash rumors in 2013 that the property was being sold to CVS Pharmacy. The Theofanous brothers took the COVID-19 lockdowns as an opportunity to renovate. Steve said it’s their drive to keep up with the times that has helped them get through their toughest challenges.

“We try to stay relevant,” he said. “I think that’s what kept us going all these years.”

Many of Around the Clock’s servers and cooks have been working there for years. The two managers, Patty Stapleton and Dino Sfondouris, have worked there for over three decades.

“It’s not coming to work, it’s coming to hang out with your buddies,” Fano said.

Jack Shields has been a customer since 1984. He said he’s loyal to Around the Clock because “the people are pleasant and the food is good.”

In the news release, the brothers said they invited the community “to stop in during our celebration week and share some of their memories with us.”

As for the next 50 years, the brothers hope to keep the family-friendly atmosphere for decades to come and they themselves plan to keep working at the diner for the foreseeable future. Another Theofanous could be in line to take over in the future as Fano’s daughter started working at the restaurant after graduating from college.

“Perhaps a third generation is ready to take over,” Steve said. “She’s still in the works.”