Rogue’s Corner in downtown Elgin to close Sunday as owner recovers from crash injuries, chef deals with cancer

Matthew Habib and his wife, Jennifer Polit, have decided to close Rogue’s Corner, their third attempt at running a restaurant in downtown Elgin.

The last shift for the pizzeria with a steampunk theme will be noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28.

The decision comes after the couple and their three children were involved in a car crash in November. Beyong that, chef and kitchen manager Jon Kiley will be out of commission soon as he recovers from cancer surgery.

“Injuries and illness have given us a new perspective on things,” Polit said.

Habib said he and his family were headed to the Wisconsin Dells the Sunday after Thanksgiving when their vehicle was clipped by one vehicle and then rear-ended by another on an exit ramp.

He suffered a concussion, whiplash and back issues and his wife and daughter, Elizabeth, 15, also hurt their backs, he said. Sons Gabriel, 13, and Oliver, 8, were not injured.

Habib has not been able to return to the 109 E. Highland Ave. restaurant and Elizabeth can’t be part of her high school wrestling team while she recovers, he said.

Adding to their woes, Habib learned in mid-December that Kiley, his right-hand-man and close friend, was diagnosed with cancer. His surgery is scheduled for Jan. 31 and he will need a few months to recuperate.

“If anything, this shows the importance of being proactive,” Habib said. “Jon had a routine colonoscopy, which is how they found the cancer. It’s at an early stage so it’s treatable.”

Habib noted that his family and Kiley have health insurance policies that are not dependent on the restaurant business.

In the meantime, they’ve been depending on staff members Jackie Clarke, Maria Valdez, Aaron Gold and Toby Sutthiwan to keep the restaurant going, he said. Already stretched thin and operating on a shoestring budget, the family needs time to regroup and heal, he said.

“While doing that, we do not have the means to subsidize this business or location,” Habib said.

Habib and his wife’s first foray into the downtown Elgin restaurant scene was in 2017, when they opened Legit Dogs & Ice inside Dream Hall at 51 S. Grove Ave. It closed two years later following a dispute with the landlord.

The couple next opened The Red Poppy Bistro at 109 E. Highland Ave., which they operated from 2020 through part of 2022. It specialized in Polish and Eastern European cuisine.

“Unfortunately, we were set to open on the day they shut down Illinois (businesses) for COVID,” Habib said.

He paid staff during the pandemic and did what he could to stay afloat, he said. When he applied for relief funding, he was told his operation was too new to qualify for any money, he said.

Staff helped them convert that same space into what is now Rogue’s Corner, which opened in May 2023. It offered Habib’s unique take on pizza and billed itself as a “mesmerizing time capsule where Victorian charm meets industrial innovation.”

All told, Habib said he spent about $100,000 on labor and work done to the space over the last few years, he said.

Over the course of their time downtown, Habib admitted they did have some issues with the city of Elgin, but those have been resolved.

“We’ve put aside our differences, and the city has been wonderful the last year,” Habib said.

As for Sunday’s finale, nothing special is being planned, he said. Saturday night, however, will be the last hurrah for the restaurant as a meeting place for the Elgin Area Tabletop Group and members of a local steampunk society.

Despite the closure, Habib said he’s considering other opportunities for the future once he’s back on his feet, possibly a reimagining of the three previous restaurant concepts somewhere in Elgin.

“We shall see,” Habib said.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

Originally Published: Jan 23, 2024 at 10:18 am