GENOA – Tea and crumpets. Crumpets and tea. Whichever the order, they’re one and the same at Crumpet’s Tea Room on Main Street in Genoa.
Where: 221 West Main St. in Genoa.
Hours: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sunday and Monday. (Reservations are recommended.)
Phone: 815-784-6121
Web: Crumpet’sillinois.com
Events Planning: Crumpet’s offers menu and event packages for bridal and baby showers, anniversaries, birthdays, holiday dinners, and even small weddings. Accommodations available for 20 to 70 people.
Special Events: Crumpet’s Mother’s Day Buffet Breakfast on May 9. Father’s Day Brunch on June 20. Crumpet’s America’s Birthday Party at 3 p.m. on July 2.
From its menu of delectable breakfast and lunch items to its Victorian charm, Crumpet’s Tea Room offers guests an experience that promises to linger like the warm aroma of baking cinnamon rolls … which they offer.
Just a little cove on Genoa’s main throughway, Crumpet’s entices guests with a touch of England not ordinarily found in the rural Midwest. Menu notables include Yorkshire Beef (sliced beef) and Trafalgar (roasted turkey breast) sandwiches, in addition to a scrumptious Sunday brunch selection made to order and a complete array of savories and bakery goods. Not to mention their continuous supply of hot teas and homemade crumpets that gives Crumpet’s Tea Room its namesake.
Crumpet’s co-owner Pam Semro said that Crumpet’s Tea Room is “a step back in time. It’s a quiet place. It’s a special place. It’s a place about having conversations and getting to know friends. It’s a mom-and-daughter place.”
Crumpet’s Tea Room has been a staple in Genoa for about 15 years. Semro and her husband Jerry took ownership on October 1 of 2009.
The Tea for Two (above) is a Sunday brunch feature new to Crumpet’s. It offers an exquisite, two-tiered arrangement of favorites that includes 2 egg salad tea sandwiches, 2 chicken salad tea sandwiches, 2 ham salad tea sandwiches, 2 cucumber dill tea sandwiches, 2 homemade cookies, and 2 mini cinnamon muffins with a fresh fruit garnish. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
Semro, who has an MBA and a long career in healthcare and business management behind her, found the idea of owning a restaurant appealing, almost necessary, after losing her job to the poor economy.
“Looking for a job was a very difficult time in this day and age,” Semro said. “So around July [of last year] the frustration level was high enough that my husband suggested that maybe it was time to start looking for a business [to buy] instead.”
Semro and her husband began “poking around” and came across a vague listing for a small Victorian-style establishment that later turned out to be Crumpet’s.
Before buying, Semro said, “We went there as customers several times, and I just really felt comfortable with the place soon as I was there.”
Now, after owning and operating Crumpet’s for six months, Semro has slid comfortably into her new role as a restaurant owner.
“I have hopes for Crumpet’s,” Semro said. “I want to make it better than it’s been and keep all the good things that make it special.”
