Scotty's Grand Opening Set for Saturday

The name “Scotty’s” might ring a few bells for some in Oswego.

Others will just know it as the name of the restaurant opening at 4571 Route 71 where the old Howey’s on 71 used to be.

Either way, owner Scott Goins is ready to make your acquaintance at Scotty’s grand opening on Saturday, August 18.

A firefighter for 18 years at both Yorkville and fire districts and an auxiliary deputy sheriff at the , Goins has made the theme of his restaurant “heroes.”

Goins has sons in both the Marines and the National Guard. His father was the previous chief at the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office. Many of his friends are part of the Marine corps.

But Goins says that you don’t have to be a hero in uniform to be a hero.

“I talked to a woman the other day and she said she had two younger sons. And I said to her, I bet at least once a day you’re a hero to them in some way. I want to celebrate the everyday heroes.”

The restaurant is still undergoing modifications, but the bar has various figurines of firefighter’s helmets, police siren and even a Dalmatian figurine.

“Our biggest concern was the kitchen,” said Goins. “It’s now the cleanest and nicest in Kendall County!”

Goins said that family and friends came to help him renovate out the area and have been hard at work getting the place ready for the grand opening. Many were there from morning till late evening, stripping the kitchen from top to bottom. “If that’s not true friends I don’t know what is,” said Goins.

“The entire atmosphere has changed,” said bar manager Dana McCombs. “We want people to know there’s a new owner, he’s here and he’s present.”

Goins has never run a restaurant before, but he knows what he wants to accomplish. He explained years ago he worked for a company that wasn’t all that kind to their workers and he knew he would never be like that. “I won’t be one of those bigwig bosses that get rich off other people’s sweat.”

The menu fare will stay similar to Howey’s, but with some modifications and additions. Namely, the ‘Scotty Burger.’

Goins has a friend up in Michigan who owns a bar called Two Jax. He and his wife would each bet a burger a week – after it had travled down to his wife’s office in Chicago – and when they reheated them at night Goins said “it was like it was right off the grill.”

When he decided to open a restaurant, the friend gave him the recipe and insisted he name it after the restaurant to build up the name. While Goins couldn’t release the special spices that made it so popular, he said one of the keys was he only uses fresh beef. Tater tots will also be added to the menu.

Scotty’s had a soft opening last Thursday, where the only advertising was spread through word of mouth. Goins said in that one night he sold out of almost all his food that he had ordered for a week.

“It’s going to be an awesome grand opening,” he said. “Come check us out.”

For questions, Scotty’s can be reached at 630-554-1919.