Business: Casey’s Foods
Address: 124 W. Gartner Road, Naperville
Phone/website: 630-369-1686; www.caseysfoods.com
Owner: Kris Visher, 65, of Naperville
Years in business: 34
What does your business do? “We provide quality service and food for our community. We are known for our butcher shop, which has more than 150 different cuts of meat. We have 13 full-time journeyman butchers on staff. … We have our own kitchen here, so everything in the deli is prepared fresh. … We have our own bakery. We’re known for our produce because we get the best of the best and we go through our produce daily to make sure there’s no rotten stuff in the boxes and whatnot,” Visher said.
What’s the background? “Mike Casey was the founder with his cousin, Mike. The two Mikes started Mike’s Meat Market in 1969 in Villa Park. They expanded to Western Springs, Casey’s Market. And then in 1991, expanded to Naperville.
“Mr. Casey passed the store on to his two sons, Dan and David, in 2004. Dan owned Naperville and David owned Villa Park and Western Springs. I became the owner in 2019 when Dan retired. I was the business manager at the time. I started in 2003 with Dan.”
What should people know? “We grill out front in the summer, from 11 to 2 on Saturdays and Sundays, which is an opportunity for people to eat our burgers and maybe come inside to buy some more. It’s definitely a plus. … During the holidays, we have everything for catering and prepared foods. That’s one thing our kitchen is very good at.”
Why makes the butcher shop so special? “Certainly, the quality of the meat. We get it from a variety of places. … We make our own sausage here. … People can have whatever they need.”
What’s your top seller in the butcher shop? “Our boneless, skinless chicken breast because it actually tastes like chicken.”
What’s your secret to success? “We have longstanding employees. They stay. They have all kinds of experience. It’s very important. … We have a great team of managers and staff. This is not a new tradition. … It’s everything. … We are an independent. That’s a challenge. … I can’t buy half a warehouse of cereal. … But even with supply shortages and increase in pricing, we are keeping our shelves stocked in all departments.”
How many employees do you have? “Ninety-one. It may be a little higher now because we have some college kids coming back (for the summer).”
What do you like best? “It’s such a privilege of carrying on Dan’s legacy of being the captain of the ship in this community. That’s means more than anything. He was dedicated to the employees, to the community, to the quality of product that we sell, as I am.”
Any negatives? “It’s a large responsibility and when things are tight in the economy, obviously, financial things can weigh on an owner.”
What challenges do you face? “There are always new challenges as competition grows in our community. We were given first right of refusal when Trader Joe’s came in, but we decided we were complimentary.
“There’s Fresh Market on Route 59 and a new Heinen’s coming in about a mile and half from us. We were impacted by Mariano’s. But I believe we offer services more personal and specific for people who know they can come here and get a piece of chicken cut how they need it that day.”
Any favorite stories? “This team coming together when the ball dropped about COVID in March of 2020. … I can still picture us standing in a circle at the front desk, saying ‘OK, we’re still here. The doors are going to open. We can do this.’”
What are your hours? “We’re open 8 to 7 Monday through Saturday and 9 to 6 on Sunday.”
What does an employee say? “We do everything here fresh daily. We go above and beyond,” meat department anager Dan Skulavik, 52, of Aurora, said.
What does a customer say? “They have one of the best quality butcher shops that’s close by. It’s not supermarket beef. It’s the real stuff,” Steve Buschkopf, 73, of Naperville, said.
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Make sure it resonates with your core values. All the logistics you plan, all the money things you think you can work out, all the people things you think will go smoothly, there’s going to be a moment you can’t imagine happening. What will get you through is who you are and what your vision is for how your business will resolve that challenge,” Visher said.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
