Courthouse Cafe Is Gone Forever, Will County Reveals Plans For Site

JOLIET — After slightly more than four years and two different companies operating the kitchen of the Sidebar Cafe on the fifth floor of the Will County Courthouse, the cafe has been shut down for good and building contractors have walled off the kitchen and turned into a private conference room.

In January, there was a sadness in the Sidebar Cafe as Blissful Bytes owner Jonathan Skinner began informing lawyers and courthouse employees that his contract with Will County Government had come to an end after just two years of operation. Blissful Bytes served delicious meals for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, and Skinner's lunch specials changed constantly, sometimes featuring a Chicago style hot dog, a chicken alfredo pizza and a buffalo chicken wrap.

Plus, there were always two homemade soups available for lunch.

Now that Will County government has ended its contract with Blissful Bytes, county officials decided they no longer want to be in the business of operating a restaurant.

Within days of shutting down Blissful Bytes, building contractors arrived and began interior remodeling, closing off the kitchen and installing a large windowless white wall in its place.

Additionally, a few new vending machines were installed next to the pop machines.

Now, the fifth floor Sidebar Cafe includes vending machines that can make Starbucks coffee. Others sell Michelina's frozen dinners as well as small bags of Doritos, Cheetos and Frito Lays products.

Back in November 2020, when Sidebar Cafe opened, Joliet Patch reported that Quest Food Management Services was awarded the contract by the Will County Board to operate the cafeteria inside the new courthouse. Quest Food Services was started in 1985, in Lombard. Quest said it ranked No. 33 in the Food Management Magazine's Top 50 food management companies in the U.S.

Then, by 2022, Quest was gone from the Will County Courthouse, and Jonathan Skinner's Blissful Bytes took the Sidebar Cafe over.

Will County Spokesman: More Vending Machines Coming Soon

On Thursday, Mike Theodore, director of communications for Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, issued the following statement in regard to the state of the Will County Courthouse's Sidebar Cafe restaurant.

"Will County has transitioned away from a café on the fifth floor of the Courthouse to full-service vending," Theodore explained. "This move offers greater accessibility and expanded hours of food service, while reducing county costs from hosting a food service. The county has contracted with a vending company to offer full-service vending machines, which include a variety of beverages, snacks, frozen food, and coffee. A 'cold food' machine will be installed in the near future, offering salads, sandwiches, and wraps."