Member Spotlight: Fitz’s on 4th
Ribs, pizza and fish are some of Vickie and Jeff Fitzsimmons’ favorite foods. That’s why those items are on the menu at Fitz’s on 4th.
“If we don’t like it, it’s not on the menu. These are our best personal recipes; everything is made from scratch,” says Vickie, who admits that sometimes she and her husband will each prepare a side dish and compete throughout the day for customer preference.
"I've learned that a lot of our customers have the same dining preferences as I do, which is why we automatically serve salad dressing and sandwich fixings on the side," she says.
Fitz’s on 4th, located at 129 South Fourth, two blocks north of the Oakley Lindsay Center, opened in February of 2010. The couple had relocated to Quincy the prior year from Wisconsin to be closer to Vickie’s family.
“My parents were born here, so even though I grew up in Iowa, I visited here many times to see relatives. I feel like a Quincy native,” she says.
“We owned a bar and grill in Wisconsin for 15 years, and believed that a similar menu and operation would work here in Quincy, too,” says Jeff, noting a slight difference in emphasis. “In Wisconsin, we ran a bar that served food, and in Quincy, we have a restaurant that happens to serve alcohol. It’s a different crowd of people, but customers like the same things everywhere: great food, friendly and fast service, a fun atmosphere, and they like to see the owners.”
“And, if the restaurant is open, we’re here,” says Vickie. Fitz’s kitchen hours are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday until 11 p.m. and Saturdays from 4-11 p.m.
Fitz’s menu has expanded in its short year of operation. In addition to appetizers that include homemade onion rings, sweet potato fries and sour-cream-and-chive fries, Fitz’s features fresh cut salads; hamburgers, tenderloins and Italian sausage sandwiches; and unique pizza toppings such as Canadian bacon and sauerkraut. Fitz’s bakes all its pizzas in a stone oven, which gives it a thin and crispy crust, and the eatery has become known as the “Home of the Potato Pizza,” another customer favorite.
For dinner, customers can select sweet barbecued ribs, “Poor Man’s Lobster” (baked cod dusted with paprika, served with drawn butter), chicken chardonnay or rib eye steak, among others, and the Friday Fish Fry is offered all year, not just during Lent. The Fitzsimmons always offer a daily special not part of the regular menu and they will be offering additional salads and lighter fare for the summer months. Vickie’s homemade cheesecake is very popular.
“Everything on the menu is available carry-out and we can deliver orders to businesses for luncheon meetings,” says Jeff. “If your group would prefer to come to our restaurant for a special event, we can accommodate that, too.”
Later in the evening, customers have fun in the bar side of Fitz’s on 4th.
“Our Martini Club has more than 300 members,” says Vickie. “Each one has a punch card that lists the 20 kinds of martinis we offer and once you’ve tried each kind, your name (or alias) is placed on a plaque shaped like a large martini glass near the entrance of the restaurant. If they allow, we will also put their photo on our Facebook page.
“For our beer drinkers, we have a similar club called the Sudz Club. Those members must try our 25 types of bottled beers to get their name on the large beer bottle,” she says.
For the full menu and photos of the renovation of the historic building, visit www.fitzson4th.com or call Jeff and Vickie at 223-FITZ (3489). The Fitzsimmons say that “a good time and great food are always on the menu.”
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