Owner announces closing of southwest Illinois restaurant. He’s hoping for a buyer
After nearly 20 years in business, the owner of a Lebanon restaurant has announced that it has permanently closed.
Paul Krumsieg, owner of Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grill, posted a letter to friends and customers last week on the business’ website and Facebook page, breaking the news.
“We would have never thought 20 years ago that we would be able to recount so many fond memories of customers and employees, who would become the Dr. Jazz family as we know it,” Krumsieg wrote in the letter.
“We are beyond grateful to all of you who have made these past 20 years such an incredible journey.”
Krumsieg wrote that now, after 20 years, “it’s time for my journey as ‘Dr. Jazz’ to come to an end. God has me moving in a different direction in my fourth quarter.”
Krumsieg said in a phone interview that the post is the official announcement of the closure.
Krumsieg said more than 6,000 viewers saw the announcement in the first hour after it was posted.
The same day the announcement appeared on Facebook, more than 150 people posted comments wishing Krumsieg and his family well and stating that they’d treasure their memories at Dr. Jazz.
Krumsieg said he received many phone calls with similar messages as well.
Lebanon Mayor Cheri Wright said, “He will be definitely missed. Everybody loves him.”
“Everybody loves his place,” Wright said.
The mayor said that Krumsieg not only operated a beloved restaurant but also brought a “very, very well-received car show” to Lebanon, referencing the Lakers Car Club cruises and classic car shows that were held downtown.
Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grille opened June 7, 2002, at 230 W. St. Louis St. in Lebanon.
Krumsieg told the Belleville News-Democrat in 2002 that he discovered the historic building on a trip to move his sister and brother-in-law to Lebanon. He was living in Chicago at the time.
He took a look inside the 1850s building that started as a drugstore and became a soda fountain in the 1880s.
A matter of hours later, Krumsieg told the Freshour family, who then owned the store, of his plans for the shop. They agreed to sell it to him.
He’d already had a plan in mind but hadn’t been able to find the right building in Chicago.
Once the ice cream shop was ready and running, attention was turned to the second floor of the building, according to the Dr. Jazz website.
The space functioned as Lebanon’s telephone exchange from 1906-1952. It was converted into a suite with “two bedrooms, appropriate baths and a combination living room/entertainment area” and named Dr. Jazz Luxury Suite, the website states.
During most of the last two years, Dr. Jazz had been closed due to COVID restrictions. Krumsieg said he and his family decided to wait out the initial lockdown in March 2020 and “hunkered down at home.”
Soon after, curbside and walk-up service was offered and continued through October 2020.
“He had a great idea of doing a drive-thru,” said Wright. “People loved that.”
Wright mentioned the walk-up stand where customers could place orders and that it “made people very happy.”
“I thought he was doing OK,” said Wright.
But it wasn’t enough. Krumsieg said he decided to “stop the bleeding” and just close until there were no restrictions. An October 2020 Facebook post stated that they hoped to reopen in March 2021.
That never happened.
“If the pandemic hadn’t hit,” said Krumsieg, “I probably would’ve still been done soon.”
Krumsieg said by then he was planning to semi-retire in a few years anyway and knew that now it was “time for me to move on.”
It was a tough decision. People were sad, and there were a lot of tears, according to Krumsieg. His family and others grew up at Dr. Jazz.
And it’s not just the local residents that will miss Dr. Jazz.
Krumsieg said that probably only about 10% of the customers are local. The majority are out-of-towners from St. Louis and beyond who know about Dr. Jazz. It was a destination for many.
Dr. Jazz has “created a culture of community,” said Krumsieg, adding that people will miss the staff – the Dr. Jazz family – and that community feel “you don’t usually get anymore.”
He acknowledged in his letter the young employees over the restaurant’s long run, describing them as “number one” and expressing his joy that he was able to see so many of them go on to become “great caring people” that now have families of their own, able to make their own family memories.
Some told him back in 2002 that it would be difficult to find good people to work at Dr. Jazz.
They were wrong.
Their open kitchen made it easier for customers and staff to visit with each other, said Krumsieg.
Every guest that entered the building was greeted by the staff, who also said “goodbye” as customers left.
Then there were the dinner shows.
The Krumsieg family put on dinner shows at Dr. Jazz for 12 years. (Krumsieg said his youngest was 2 years old when they started. She’s 14 now.)
Performances included the “Celtic Lights” show for St. Patrick’s Day and their “It’s a Wonderful Life” dinner shows, which were performed from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.
Krumsieg and his family are all about nostalgia.
In a November 2014 News-Democrat story, reporter Teri Maddox wrote that Krumsieg’s five children “inherited a love of old movies and TV shows, including ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’” (There was even an ice cream dish on the menu called the “George Bailey.”)
The message of the Frank Capra classic is that people get discouraged. But friends in your community can give you support and the encouragement to continue when times are tough.
Krumsieg still feels this way today and said that’s why they did those dinner shows — to encourage people.
“Life is a play. We all have our cameos,” said Krumsieg. “It’s been a great play. It’s time for an encore … [for] somebody else to take over.”
Krumsieg hopes that Dr. Jazz Soda Fountain & Grille will continue and plans to sell the business intact to someone who wants to keep it going.
“Hopefully somebody purchases [the business] quickly” and carries it on, said Wright
A flyer with sales information and details about the business will soon be available. Until then, anyone seriously considering the opportunity can contact Krumsieg via email at Paul@Krumsieg.com.
He’ll miss the business, and if someone wants to be the next Dr. Jazz, said Krumsieg, he will help them do it.
“I was Dr. Jazz for 20 years,” said Krunsieg. “Someone else can be Dr. Jazz for another 20 years.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 2:28 PM.
