“First of all, it doesn’t feel like it. It doesn’t feel like 25 years. It’s big. I mean, it’s big. 25 years is a milestone for a restaurant,” said Nancy Quigley, the owner of Quigley’s Irish Pub.
The start of Quigley’s Irish Pub
On November 17, Quigley’s Irish Pub celebrated a quarter of a century in Downtown Naperville. The pub opened its doors at 43 E. Jefferson Ave. in 1998 after Nancy Quigley and her husband were inspired by an Irish-style pub in the state of Georgia.
“Way back in probably 1996-7, I went to Atlanta, to Buckhead, and there was a pub there called Fado, and I was married at the time, so my husband and I went and we really liked it and thought, you know, maybe we could do one of these in Naperville. So I got a hold of Guinness. And Guinness has an office in Stamford, Connecticut, and they gave a class on how to start an Irish pub,” said Quigley.
The pub itself resides in the historic Jefferson Hill building that was built in 1845. The building was also the home to Naperville Mayor Kendall in the early 1900’s.
The pub was designed and built in Ireland and then shipped to Naperville. Special furniture such as a fireplace, bookcase, and original prints on the walls were also brought over from Dublin to give Quigley’s a traditional Irish feel.
A pub with a sense of family
The business has become a family affair.
“All of my kids worked here at one time. My two sons helped build it, Michelle worked here, but my other daughter worked here too. So it’s part of our family,” said Quigley.
But that family-feel extends beyond just the Quigleys, says current general manager Andy Nosek.
“It’s a pub feel first. And then it’s the neighborhood feel. And, you know, the friendships, the camaraderie, even some of the disagreements between some of our guests with which soccer teams they support is fun, it’s kind of the melting pot of what Quigley’s is,” said Nosek.
That community spirit has been in full force at Quigley’s throughout its run, but even more so during the pandemic, Quigley said.
“When Pritzker shut everybody down the day before Saint Patrick’s Day, we had a kitchen full of food. We had a beer cooler full of Guinness, and the community came around. They all ordered takeout. We ran out of food. There were lines down the street of people waiting to get their food. So they rallied around us. We had customers that made masks for our staff. And so, yeah, good community,” said Quigley.
The pub is firmly planted in Naperville, and happy to call the city its home.
“You know, we try to stick out a little bit, but not like a sore thumb. And being all in one spot. You’re not moving this pub, so it’s not going anywhere as long as I’m in charge and hopefully that’s for at least another 25 years,” said Nosek.
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