IL diner to close amid governor’s order, owner frustrated

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    BELLEVILLE, IL (KMOV ) — After 35 years in business, Moore’s Restaurant in Belleville will close its doors Monday night, unsure of when it will reopen.

The move comes after Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker ordered all restaurants and bars to close at the end of business day Monday. Drive-thrus and carry-out orders will be allowed.

Don Moore owns the Belleville restaurant and said he is frustrated with the lack of notice business owners were given ahead of the ordered closures.

“I was surprised and disappointed,” he said. “It was a total surprise, taken by a big surprise. You have to plan for stuff like this.”

Moore said his 10 employees will have to figure out a way to pay their bills with the restaurant’s temporary closure. Because it specializes in primarily breakfast, Moore said at this point, he has not plans to do a carry-out business.

“It came from the governor so I’ll blame it on him,” Moore said. “All of a sudden he decides to close the restaurants without letting anyone know or anything.”

Moore said the closure will be detrimental to his bottom line and depending on how long he is closed, he may have to take out a loan or dip into savings to reopen due to lost revenue.

Restaurants and bars are expected to be closed through at least the end of March.

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