The year 2012 has been one for the books for Dennis Murphy and his wife Bunny.
“I [turned] 70 years old, it marked our 50th year in the restaurant business, it marked our 45th year of marriage and it marked 40 years of parenthood,” Dennis said. “It all happened in 2012. It was really kind of neat.”
The duo, who can often be found at their Marion Street establishment, Poor Phil’s, have watched Oak Park transform from a dry town “where the saloons stop and the churches begin” to Philander’s in 1979, the first standup bar since they were shut down around the turn of the century.
Poor Phil’s opened in 1985 as a spin-off from the original Philander’s of Oak Park, a white table cloth establishment. The goal of Poor Phil’s was to be a casual bar with cheaper food, thus the name. It has since become a staple seafood restaurant for generations of local diners.
They have seen a lot of changes in Oak Park, but the Murphys’ life has been a constant, except for the growing family.
“We’re pretty stable. The same phone number, the same address,” Dennis joked.
“Even the same chairs and furniture,” added Bunny, whose childhood nickname from her brother stuck (her real name is Kathleen).
It’s been meeting all the people that makes her excited about running Poor Phil’s. They hire locally and like to keep it in the Poor Phil’s “family,” which includes a few “legacy” kids of former employees.
“Everywhere you go, you know somebody. I feel like the mayor. It feels like home wherever I go,” she said. “I like to be able to give the neighborhood kids jobs.”
The Murphys will tell you they’re not sure how they’ve managed to navigate the restaurant business for decades, but they did survive two economic recessions and are still going strong.
“Poor Phil’s has a personality of its own, and I think it’s a unique personality,” Dennis explained. “Restaurants aren’t supposed to last 30 years. Lots go belly up after the first year. … It’s amazing. It’s one of those spots that keeps going and going. We couldn’t do it anywhere else. It wouldn’t work. It’s got to be this corner.”
The elegant new brick-paved streets, decorative lighting and heated slate sidewalks make the area quaint today, but Dennis recalls the days when Poor Phil’s opened, a time when the dark street had the perception of being “on the wrong side of the tracks.” Bunny recalls only a local gun shop nearby.
The restaurant hasn’t been the site of many family gatherings, except for their oldest daughter’s wedding reception — the only time it was shut down for a private event. Still, the lives of their eight kids, all adopted, and 13 grandchildren keep them busy. The Murphys’ family started in 1972 when they adopted their first son after being spurred by a magazine ad, Dennis recalled.
In the early ’70s, Time magazine ran an adoption ad with a cute kid featured. Dennis and Bunny talked and actually tried to find the kid from the ad — without success, of course — but they were still able to find a son. And they kept going from there.
Moving through the years, Dennis followed the path less traveled as he embarked on what turned into a 32-year mission to finish his theology degree at Loyola University of Chicago. He started in 1967, but after getting into the restaurant business and adopting eight kids, he got a little busy. In 1992, Dennis finally secured his degree, but Bunny joked it was because he wanted to beat the kids to college graduation.
Whether it’s at Poor Phil’s or celebrating with their own kids and grandkids, the Murphys have managed to create a family atmosphere within the walls.
“It’s a bar, but it’s not really a bar,” Dennis said. “Anyone can be here and feel comfortable.”
And if you’re wondering who’s in charge …
“In most circumstances I’m known as Bunny’s husband,” Dennis said.
“Because I am the mayor,” Bunny adds.