Tolono Fun Days! is Excited to Share the history of the amazing
Monical’s Pizza Restaurant
Alicia Monical is looking forward to being in the Tolono Fun Days! parade on Saturday, June 29th at 11:00AM.
Plans are being made to have Her grandsons ride in the front vehicle with a big picture of her late husband Ralph Monical (died on 2/26/22 at the age of 88) on a pizza “peel” (the apparatus used to take a hot pizza out of the oven). This tribute will salute the deep rooted family tradition of bringing people together and eating around the table in the restaurant that first opened in Tolono in 1959.
Back in 1938, when Ralph’s parents Walter and Ada Monical moved to Tolono (population 600) with their four children, the great brand emerged out of a pool hall called the “Side Pocket” when a small pizza oven was purchased to make pizzas for friends on Sunday afternoons. Ada would roll dough by day while Walter worked at the pizza parlor as a hobby, selling pizzas at night while he was employed full time at the University of Illinois.
Sixty-five years later, Monical’s Pizza has grown to over 32 corporate locations and 27 franchise units with
a presence in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri. When the Fun Day committee first started negotiating the thought of honoring Monical’s owners in our hometown parade, Virginia (Ginny Wood) as Ralph’s sister (married Jerry Easton now) ran the Tolono location when her parents (having ties to the business side until 1971) then worked with Ralph who retired in 1982. Ginny ran the business until Tom and Beth Swigart purchased it in 1996.
Ginny, though unable to attend the Tolono Fun Day parade the last Saturday in June, wishes everyone a great 4th of July holiday and appreciates being part of this Tolono history as the longest restaurant to stay open in town. According to the timeline, Monical’s corporation provided for this tasty tradition, I learned “The Family Pleaser” combination meal used to be offered one night a week as the special back in 1969. All owners are proud of the quality products used in their recipes, attention to service and the warm, friendly atmosphere.
Beth’s family’s friendship with the Monical family meant that she was able to get a job washing dishes when Ralph’s sister Ginny Wood was the owner and Beth was probably a bit too young to work. She doesn’t regret it, that’s how she met Tom.
After they graduated high school and moved on to different jobs, Tom and Beth would return on special occasions to help out at the restaurant alongside other former employees. Tom came home one night and said that he had talked with Ginny and said if she was ready to retire or sell the business, we might be interested,” Beth said, “You told her what?”
In 2023, the Monical’s Pizza franchise was purchased from the Swigart family, wrapping up the chapter of local ownership. It will be great to have representation from the current staff, administration and one of the cool looking “wrapped” delivery cars in our parade as well as Tom and Beth honored as Grand Marshals, too.
Monical’s has always been an integral part of our community, contributing to so many fundraisers to support
local groups and organizations, as I personally remember receiving prizes and reading incentives for
our Rockets in the past, said Tolono Fun Days! Secretary, Diane Ducey. Tolono Fun Days! President, Jeff Hahn, and my brother, nick anderson, have fond memories of playing little league baseball on a monical’s sponsored team. Even, myself, rena Anderson hahn, tolono fun days! Treasurer, has great memories of playing summer softball with beth throneburg swigart under the direction of ginny wood.
We look forward to saluting some stellar people who have served our community well, adding in mentoring, coaching and more, with a long legacy of providing job opportunities and passing on that tradition of gathering together to eat and share stories in Tolono for 65 years.
