Prime Time Owner Wants Focus to Be Family First

Like many in the food industry, Angelo Gellis of in New Lenox got his start with his family.

Growing up in Chicago, Gellis' parents ran grocery stores. Eventually, he and his three brothers were interested in the food industry and opened a restaurant in Mount Greenwood.

Gellis worked in San Diego for 11 years but moved back to the Chicago area, and through another family connection has made the leap to owning Prime Time here. It was his second cousins, Angelo and Georgia Les, who own the original Prime Time location in Hickory Hills, as well as in New Lenox.

“We just felt very comfortable together,” he said of his family.

His son, 22-year-old Nick, works at Prime Time now after getting an interest in the "family business."

"You have to separate the business from the family,” Gellis said. “But it’s good because you have someone you can trust.”

That respect of family is something Gellis wants to carry over to the service at Prime Time, which opened in April 2011 . The noise issues and bar atmosphere of the previous business there left a bad taste in some residents' mouths because of late-night issues with noise.

"We're a family restaurant first," Gellis said. "I don’t want to be known as a bar."

To drive that point home, Gellis said he's tried offering a family-friendly atmosphere, and for many families now that means a large menu and discounted options. For example, kids eat free on Wednesdays, and there's a daily lunch special: $4.99 for soup and sandwich. Prime Time also has a banquet room for something like pizza parties.

Still, for those interested in the bar scene, Prime Time has a large one in the middle of the restaurant, along with many TVs playing the big sporting events of the day. Prime Time offered a free halftime buffet during Bears games and also has drink specials during Blackhawks games.

So whether you're going to Prime Time for a family meal or to have a beer and watch the game, Gellis is excited to be a part of New Lenox and meet the people in town.

"Once you’re in it you grow a passion for it," he said. "It’s a fun business. It’s a service business, and you’ve got to like people."