McHENRY – Business at the Village Squire of McHenry has jumped 34 percent since the owners completed a $375,000 renovation at the restaurant in November.

Sales at the restaurant had slumped during the recession. From 2008-10, the number of patrons visiting the English pub-style casual dining restaurant decreased each year, said owner George Karas.

As customers began returning in greater numbers in 2011 and 2012, Karas, 64, and his 26-year-old son, Aleko, starting making plans to upgrade the 31-year-old restaurant.