'My Life's Passion': Bourbons Owners Face Closing, Hold Out Hope For Way Forward

NEW LENOX, IL — Just more than a week after the sudden closing of Bourbons Smokehouse in New Lenox, its owners on Tuesday said the decision was not hastily made—but they're hoping it might not be a permanent one.

Joe and Tonya Regiro said that they'd given it their all, but staring down further financial loss, they had to make the call. It seemed sudden to supporters, who were quick to fill the seats in the restaurant's final weekend of business.

"We had been struggling for a long time, and trying to pivot, trying to meet the needs of the community," Tonya said. "Trying to meet the needs of the personnel, staff. There were a hundred different reasons of things we could have done, should have done, would have done. Some were in our control, some were not. I know it seemed like it was out of left field, but we had been struggling for a while.

"We poured everything we had into it, and more."

The closing was timed ahead of anticipated catering orders for Thanksgiving, they said. Knowing their predicament, they feared they wouldn't be able to meet the demand.

".... We knew we might have more business maybe this year, but do we commit to all these families, and something goes wrong before the end of the month comes?" Joe said. "We couldn’t live with ourselves."

Though feeling defeated, the community's support in the restaurant's final days sparked some hope—could they find another way to make this work? Could they think outside the box? In a note to their supporters this week, they made a plea for anyone interested in investing in the business to come forward to "keep our dream alive."

"We had so much fun on our last couple days," Tonya said. "It was so emotional for us, and devastating. This is our livelihood, this is everything."

Now, they're leaning into their network, looking for a private investor or a group of investors "to reach out to us to help us get out of this hole and get back to smokin' every day." They are seeking anyone who may be interested in working with Joe to figure it out and "get the fire burning again."

"This is my life's passion," Joe said. "Everything I dreamed of, everything I put together. I put my heart and soul into this. I don’t want to walk away. We’re reaching out, hoping, that maybe there’s a person, or a restaurant group out there that have the operations experience, that can come in and help us build the markets of the business—catering, weddings and events—build up the bar area with a special bar menu, and a twist to it."

In an ideal partnership, they'd have someone who can run and maintain the restaurant, allowing Joe to focus on his role as pit master, and expanding their reach in catering and special events. Also in the plans would be packaging Joe's homemade sauces for outside sale.

"We barely tapped that market," Joe said, "and we know we can do so much more."

"We’re hoping that somebody or some group can step up and try to get us out of this little rut, so we can tap into the more profitable segments of our business. ... We see a bright future, but we’re out of our resources."

Joe's time was spread too thin, he said, to be able to hone in on what could push the business forward.

"With the resources of me doing everything, and wearing multiple hats: manager, pit master, bartender, cook—I was there 80 hours, and it doesn’t matter. I would live there, if I had to," he said.

"We need someone who has more experience with the restaurant industry, and the management side of it, to help guide us, and be partners with us," Tonya said.

The smokehouse opened its New Lenox location in 2022. Previously it had been catering only, based out of Tinley Park. The New Lenox location was the first dine-in one.

"We started it all, created it all," Joe said. "We had to figure it out. Looking back now, we should have made adjustments a long time ago. We'd have some good months, then at every turn ... BAM. We just kept pushing."

They're hopeful Bourbons can make a comeback, even if that looks different.

"We’re just hoping somebody was able to see the quality of the food and the products we put out there," Joe said. "This brand is special. We believe it can be something bigger and better, but we need help."

Both said they are heartbroken by the closing, and humbled by the community's support.

"We’re genuinely sick over being in this position," Joe said.

"We feel like we let the community down," Tonya added. "We own the mistakes we’ve made."

"No excuses," Joe said. "It’s the way the cookie crumbled."

"We want the community to understand we loved it here, we love the relationships we built," Tonya said.

They're deeply hoping there's a way forward that will allow them to reopen in some capacity. But if there is, it has to happen fast—by the end of November.

"There’s still hope," Tonya said.

Joe would love to get back behind the pit. The business means so much to him, he said.

"... when we cook for people, we take it to heart," he said. "Our blood, sweat and tears are in it.

Anyone who is interested is asked to contact Joe Regiro via email at Joe@bourbonssmokehouse.com, or message the business Facebook page. Serious inquiries only, they urge.