Palos Hills’ Valley Inn badly damaged in late-night fire 

When Frankie Ristucci saw smoke on cameras at his family’s restaurant around 2:30 a.m., Friday, July 25, he jumped into action. Literally. 

Frankie, 20, and his dad, Dennis, rushed to the restaurant,  Valley Inn, at 8300 W. 107th St. in Palos Hills. Upon arriving they saw the flames had reached the dining room.  

Frankie immediately remembered that two tenants lived upstairs. He grabbed the keys and ran into the building.  

“I knew I had the keys to get upstairs,” Frankie said. “I just ran in to get the girls out.” 

One tenant was home. Frankie pounded on the door to wake her up and told her to grab only essentials before they made their way away from the smoke-filled stairwell. 

“I told her, ‘Grab whatever you absolutely need, we have to go now,'” he said. 

When they were outside, someone shouted that her roommate’s cat was left upstairs.  Frankie notified firefighters, who rescued the cat. The cat received oxygen from firefighters on site, and both the tenant and the cat were unharmed. 

“My son’s a hero,” said Frankie’s mom, Becky Ristucci, who owns Valley Inn with her husband, Dennis. “I’m still in the twilight zone, but thank God no one was hurt.” 

Firefighters said the fire began in the dining room, not the kitchen, but the cause remains under investigation. 

The dining room and bar area were completely destroyed, as well as one of the two upstairs apartments. 

The family will not know for sure how costly the damage was until insurance assessors begin their review. 

“We’re in the dark ourselves,” Becky said. “People keep asking, but there’s no timeline yet.” 

Valley Inn’s doors remain closed indefinitely, but the family’s separate catering business is up and running. That was posted on the Valley Inn’s Facebook page, and customers have been calling ever since. 

Orders are booked through September, and they hope to offer family meals on weekends soon. 

“Not everyone’s on Facebook, so we’re just trying to get the word out,” Becky said. 

Customers can reach Dennis at 708-770-6902 or Frankie at 708-541-8593.

The longtime restaurant has been open since 1938. Becky recalled how the grandfather of the original owners, the Anderson family, was told he was “crazy to build a bar in the middle of nowhere.” 

Over the decades, Valley Inn became a gathering place for the community, especially with local firefighters. 

“Forty firefighters responded,” Becky said. “These were guys who used to come here for lunch with their families. I’ve been trying to thank them all.” 

Support from friends and neighbors has already begun pouring in. Palos Hills Ald. Donna O’Connell,  economic development chairman, one of the first people Becky called after the fire, suggested ways to help, like organizing a “Valley Strong” T-shirt fundraiser. Proceeds will go to the local food pantry or someone in need, not the restaurant. Those interested in inquiring about shirts can reach her at 708-420-2326.

O’Connell echoed the family’s gratitude, sharing the family’s Facebook message, “We are deeply grateful for the overwhelming support from our customers and the City of Palos Hills and surrounding communities during this challenging time. We assure you that we intend to rebuild our establishment, and we appreciate your patience as this process unfolds. We stand strong alongside you, and thank you again — Valley Strong.”

“We’re not doing a GoFundMe,” Becky said. “Other people need that more than we do.” 

The overwhelming support has been comforting, Becky said.

“It’s devastating, but the support is incredible,” Becky said. “We’re not going away. We just don’t know what’s next yet.”