In a small town like St. Joe, small businesses are the essence of the community. They're here for us when we ask for donations for raffles and sponsor sports teams like it's nothing. Now, however, it's time for us to be there for them.

Illinois is moving into Phase 3 of Governor Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan on May 29, and restaurants can open up for outdoor seating. However, not all restaurants in our town have this option based on their location and profitability.

Thus, it's incredibly important that we continue to support all of our restaurants (not just the ones that can offer outdoor seating) and that we don't switch to eating out in Champaign or Urbana (which can offer more outdoor seating) exclusively. This list breaks down the 10 restaurants our town is lucky enough to have as a reminder of where we need to provide our support while staying safe, even as Illinois begins to open back up.

1. El Toro

Anyone from the East Central Illinois area knows the St. Joe El Toro is the best location around. Something about a bowl of queso, a saqueo, and a huge margarita scream St. Joe. Their food is affordable, so why not have some Mexican at home?

2. Roch's Place

As our local sports bar, Roch's is a huge proponent of our local athletics. Their support is so important to our community, so we should absolutely support them now! Plus, their food is pretty dang good, and their curbside greetings are the sweetest!

3. Geschenk Boutique and Coffee and Tea Haus

A town as small as ours is lucky to have a coffee shop. This sweet place has all of the charm you would expect out of a mom and pop business and the food and drinks are top-notch. Right now, they're doing curbside service and are opening outdoor seating when we move into Phase 3.

4. Scratch

Great news—Scratch opened back up for takeout after a few weeks off! This is the place to go when you're looking for some home cooking but you don't want to cook. Their menu changes daily, so make sure to follow their Facebook page for updates on what they're serving!

5. The WheelHouse

The WheelHouse holds a special place in my heart. From Wednesday night trivia to the coolest alcoholic beverages I've ever had, I truly miss this restaurant.

They've added a weekly grocery pickup to their farm to table offerings, so between their weekend date night packages and rotating sando menu, there's something for everyone to choose from! Make sure to follow their Facebook page too as their menu also changes daily.

6. Padano's

All SJOHS students can vouch for just how great the Padano's lunch meal deal is. Two huge slices of pizza, some breadsticks with cheese, and a drink for just a few bucks is pretty hard to beat. What many forget is that they also do takeout and delivery during dinner (and their menu is more than just pizza). I'd argue that Padano's is a St. Joe hidden gem that we need to continue to support.

7. Subway

Yes, Subway may be a chain, but it's very important that we continue to support our local location right now. They also just recently opened back up after a closure for safety during COVID-19, so in order to show that we love having them in town, we need to continue to patronize our only sandwich shop!

8. Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen is run by and employes so many of our local residents, both high school kids and adults alike. Their drive-thru seems to almost always have a line, but we need to make sure we keep grabbing quick fast food meals and ice cream treats from them, even as the focus changes to sit down restaurants with outdoor seating.

9. Monical's

While Monical's is also another small chain, I don't think we realize how lucky we are to have one of these restaurants in our town. I have family in Michigan that is so jealous that we have access to this delicious pizza and French dressing whenever we want. Even though it's one of the pricier options in town for meals, we need to continue to grab our meals to go from them as much as we can if we want to keep them around!

10. China King

Many other small towns don't have a Chinese restaurant full of the comfort food I've grown to love (I could really go for some crab rangoon and egg drop soup right now...). They've taken lots of precautions to stay safe, and the family that runs the restaurant really are some of the kindest people I've met. Don't forget about their takeout business as we move forward into new phases!

All in all, it really doesn't matter which of these restaurants you choose, as long as you choose one! Eat local and stay St. Joe proud!