Lisa Brown really wants people to give her staff at Happy Jack’s a break, for at least few more weeks, as she and the brand new staff shakes the ice (cream) off their shoes.

“We are really trying hard to get the times down so people are not waiting. We want to be perfect,” Brown said.

For 47 years, Happy Jack’s at 4911 W. Elm St. was a staple for McHenry residents. Then, in October 2024, owner Jack Moos announced plans online for the restaurant to become a seasonal business, closing for the winter with plans to open again in the spring.

That didn’t happen. Instead, Gus Kitsos purchased the restaurant for his son, John Kitsos, to run.

Then, Brown and her husband, Cary Kern – most recently of the now-closed Don’s Subs on Front Street – connected with the Kitsos family.

“We ended up doing this together,” Brown said.

After a bit of remodeling, including a new grill and hood, updated bathrooms and an accessible ramp, the new Happy Jack’s opened on Jan. 21.

Intended as a soft opening with limited hours to give them time to get used to the new location and expanded menu, it’s been a whirlwind since, Brown said.

“We really didn’t advertise because we wanted to get our feet under us first,” she said. But once residents found out the restaurant has reopened, they have been pouring in.

Tammy Hoffman lived behind the Route 120 restaurant for years. There was a break in her backyard fence so she, her children and their friends could walk over after sports practices and school events.

“We would ride bikes here – go around the block once – to get an ice cream," Hoffman said. “It is the small town feel of it for us. We would literally walk there from our backyard to get ice cream. Birthday parties – we would go there to get ice cream.”

For any McHenry child under the age of 16, it was the place to be, Hoffman said.

Her family moved about a mile away, but still her teenage daughters, now 14 and 15, talk about applying to work there once they turn 16, Hoffman said.

Brown said she’s been hiring many teens, but right now needs some older, experienced staff as they figure out the food versus the ice cream parlor portion of the store.

Right now, they are are only open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with plans to get to 6 p.m. in a few weeks. By the time summer gets here – or possibly April 1 – they want to be open until 8:30 p.m.

Another change is in the original decor. Moos collected Coca-Cola memorabilia and took a lot of it with him. A lot is still there too.

“We sill have quite a bit of the Coke stuff up,” Brown said.

They knew the demand would be there once the sign read open, Brown added.

“We are really trying hard but it has been so busy,” Brown said. “But I am happy with how things are going.”