<p>Joey Thurman: I'm in Aurora, Illinois at Pomegranate Cafe. This has been an institution in Aurora for over 10 years now. I'm going to check out the breakfast all day and some delicious crepes, let's see if I can go into a crepe coma. And here is Pomegranate Cafe.</p>
<p> No, I'm not eating all of this food, Sue's going to help me. Sue, you're one of the owners of this beautiful establishment with your husband, Andre. How long has this been here?</p>
<p>Sue: The restaurant itself has been here probably about 10 years. We just bought it about two and a half years ago. It's a really nice community, the area we're in. I mean, the people here are wonderful.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: What do your customers mean to you, and how have they helped you guys out?</p>
<p>Sue: Oh my gosh, our customers are amazing. That's the only reason we're still here, and they just love that it's a family owned restaurant. Our girls are here on the weekends to help us, my brother-in-law comes in and helps us on the weekend. So it's just a real family, welcoming atmosphere.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: What do we have here?</p>
<p>Sue: Oh, my goodness.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: We have a couple different types of crepes and waffles, and a football-sized omelet, which... That looks like a Greek staple, right there.</p>
<p>Sue: Yeah, this is an amazing... This is our, it looks like our Mediterranean omelet. It's delicious.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: That makes a bravo, okay.</p>
<p> What's your favorite food here?</p>
<p>Sue: I'm a big fan of our skillets and our omelets. All of our skillets and our omelets can be interchanged, so you can order them either as a skillet or as an omelet.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: It's the sauce. A lot of aiolis are very overpowering.</p>
<p>Sue: Mm-hmm (affirmative).</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: This isn't. This just gives a good enough kick, where it doesn't melt your taste buds off.</p>
<p>Sue: Exactly. Just enhances all the rest of the stuff in there.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: Wow.</p>
<p>Sue: Well, one nice thing about our portions are a lot of people will come in and they will eat, and then they actually have enough left to have a little second snack once they get home.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: Okay, this is obviously the first time you've met me because I don't do second snack.</p>
<p>Sue: No?</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: No. If it shows up on the plate-</p>
<p>Sue: It's gone.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: I eat it.</p>
<p>Sue: Clear your plate kind of guy. All right, I like that.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: That is really, really good. I like the presentation with the strawberry, very good.</p>
<p> Pomegranate Cafe, Aurora, Illinois. I'm all creped out, Sue. Thank you so much for having me, and I appreciate all of the food and-</p>
<p>Sue: Of course.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: Do I got to finish it?</p>
<p>Sue: Yeah, I'm going to leave you here.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: You're leaving me by myself?</p>
<p>Sue: You've got a lot of food to eat. The challenge is on.</p>
<p>Joey Thurman: That's okay, I got a mimosa.</p>
During the Toughest of Times, It Was Customer Loyalty That Saved the Pomegranate Café
The Pomegranate Café has been a staple in the Aurora community for over a decade. Andre and Sue Salem jumped at the chance to fulfill their dream of owning a restaurant and purchased the cafe from the original owner in 2018. But, no one knew a global pandemic was looming, and it seemed their dream might come to an abrupt end in 2020. Fortunately, Andre and Sue quickly learned how incredible Aurora residents genuinely are. Loyal customers rallied and saved the beloved café from closing its doors. They're here to tell the tale.
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