The owners of the revived Launching Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, Illinois, said they would keep their Route 66 restaurant closed until spring “to protect our family, employees and patrons” from COVID-19.
Tully Garrett and Holly Barker made the announcement Friday on Instagram and other social media. It stated, in part:
We have carefully watched this pandemic and all the damage it has caused to businesses and people alike.
Some businesses have opened and some of them have closed. Unfortunately some have closed permanently. Each business owner has a tough decision to make and their decision is based on what works for them.
After careful consideration we are going to protect our family, employees and patrons by holding off opening during these uncertain times.
Will we reopen? Absolutely! It’s wonderful to have so many people wanting us to open and looking out for our well-being. […]
It’s going to be the safer for all of us.
We are putting the almighty dollar and profits to the side for the overall well-being of this entire situation at hand.
We will be diligently working hard inside the building with a new Infrastructure so when we open we will be providing the best burgers and fries around to all those that are eagerly been awaiting.
The Launching Pad had been closed since mid-March because of the pandemic, which has infected more than 5.6 million people and killed more than 176,000 in the U.S. alone.
A COVID-related travel ban also is keeping Europeans — a significant portion of Route 66 tourism — from journeying on the Mother Road.
Many health experts, however, anticipate a coronavirus vaccine would be widely available by the first quarter of 2021. If so, the timing of the Launching Pad’s reopening would be impeccable.
Garrett and Barker bought the restaurant in fall 2017 after it had been closed for about seven years.
John and Betty Korelc originally opened a Dairy Delite at the site in 1960. It was renamed the Launching Pad after an expansion in 1965. The world-famous Gemini Giant fiberglass figure landed there in 1965 after John Korelc saw a Muffler Man during a restaurant convention. Most Muffler Men were cowboys or lumberjacks. Korelc had his specially made so it looked liked an astronaut. John Korelc retired in 1986.
Morey Szczecin bought the property in 2007 after longtime owners Jerry and Sharon Gatties retired. But the restaurant struggled, closed in 2010 and was put up for sale.
The Launching Pad and Gemini Giant were inducted into the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2000. It long has been one of the biggest photo opportunities for Route 66 travelers.
(Image of the Launching Pad Drive-In by John Larson via Facebook)