Secret to success is simple for Tom’s Place in Lemont, which is celebrating 100 years

Mark Laketa smiled when asked the secret of success for Tom’s Place in downtown Lemont.

After all, few businesses survive 100 years, let alone stay in the same family for three generations.

”A lot of people ask me that,” Laketa said. “I would say the secret of success is easy. Treat people like you would want to be treated.”

“People walk in, you greet them. Say ‘hello.’ People leave, you say ‘Goodbye and thank you’,” said Laketa, 59, of Joliet.

His grandfather, Tom Laketa, started the business in 1924 on the east side of Stephen Street. Yes, the iconic Lemont tavern opened during the height of Prohibition when alcohol was illegal in the U.S.

”There was nonalcoholic beer. Everything was hidden. ‘Blah, blah, blah. It’s a soda pop bar.’ My father told me stories,” Laketa said.

“There was an old garage behind that building but it wasn’t tied into my grandfather’s place, although it was. There was a lot of stuff hidden there. My dad said at one time they did get raided. They found stuff in the garage and [grandpa said], ‘That’s not my garage,’ ” Laketa said with a laugh.

In 1930, Tom’s Place moved down the block toward the railroad tracks and stayed there until moving into the building at 110 Stephen St. in 1948.

Laketa’s father, Milan, and uncle, Tom Jr., joined the family business when they returned from the Korean War.

”As my dad told the story, [my grandfather] said, ‘Hey, can you help me out for a little bit until I find some help?’ Fifty years later ...,” Laketa said with a laugh.

Milan died in 2020. Uncle Tom also has passed away.

”The day I buried dad [at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery] was the day we shut everything down for COVID,” Laketa said. ”The joke is dad said, ‘Well, the [heck] with it. If I can’t be there to drink with my customers, nobody can drink. Shut her down.’ That kind of helped us through it.”

During a recent interview, Laketa sipped a cold can of Stag beer.

“It’s like Blatz. An old beer. But it’s not a bad beer,” he said.

Blatz is a staple at Tom’s. It used to be served on tap. Now, it’s cans only. They went through 45 cases of Blatz beer during a gala 100th birthday party Aug. 10.

Like his father and uncle, Laketa eventually joined the family business. Laketa worked 10 years in the music industry before deciding to work at the tavern in 1996.

”I was kind of burned out. And I didn’t want mom and dad working until the day they died,” Laketa said.

His late mother Elaine told him that in the 1970s “we didn’t know if we were going to make it. We had five grand in the bank.”

There were other challenges as well.

”They survived a bike bar across the street,” Laketa said.

“It was the kind of bar where guys would be thrown out the window. Motorcycles lined up both sides of the street. People were afraid to come down. It took the state and county to run them out of town. Then things got better,” he said.

Business has ebbed and flowed.

”We’ve had generations raised in here. ... I was raised in here. It’s a local tavern. That’s how it goes. You dad or grandpa brought you in. When the old-timers start dying off, business kind of goes down. Then you come back up,” he said.

Laketa appreciates the events the village sponsors, including the Wednesday night downtown car shows, because they attract potential customers. The significant number of restaurants in downtown Lemont also is good for business.

“Folks stop in before or after dinner,” Laketa said.

He said he tries to keep up with trends but “you can’t do every trend.”

”In the music business, we had a saying. ‘Gear is gear.’ Everybody can have the sound or lighting system. It’s the service you get. You can apply that to any business. Everybody has Miller Lite or Bud Light. The service you get with it will determine if you survive or don’t survive,” he said.

Blatz was the top seller at Tom’s Place when Milan had three handles offering the same beer.

His reasoning?

“So when it runs out, I don’t have to go downstairs [to change kegs]. I can go to the next tapper,” Milan told his son.

Laketa eventually convinced his dad it was OK to offer more than one beer on tap.

Tom’s Place now offers Pabst Blue Ribbon, Schlitz, Miller Lite, Blue Moon, Old Style and Hamm’s on tap.

”If Blatz was still made in the barrel, the Blue Moon would be gone” he said.

Closing down during the pandemic allowed for deep cleaning, repairs and renovations such as adding a second TV and having six handles at the bar.

Famed visitors include Dolly Parton, Steve McQueen, Sean Young, Tom Arnold and pro golfer John Daly.

While most customers live in Lemont, some flew in from Idaho and Washington for the 100th party.

All, Laketa said, “had a great time.”

Looking ahead, Laketa hopes Tom’s Place stays in the family for many years.

”I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” he said. “Someone in the family may want to keep the legacy going.”