SVN Helps Honey’s Bring Swagger and Sophistication to Lake Street
After more than a year of design work, buildout and construction, one of Chicago’s hottest restaurant openings, has finally come to fruition. SVN Restaurant Resource Group’s Jim Martin and Marcus Sullivan represented both Honey’s and the landlord at 1111 W Lake. The...
Zoning Trouble Brewing? Beer-makers, Distillers Fear Review May Push Them Out
The president of Koval Distillery likes to think that each bottle of whiskey she makes is a Chicago flag of sorts, proudly made in the city and planted in thirsty locales all over the world. "Distilled in Chicago" is printed on each label and is important to the...
9 Chicago Restaurants You Need To Check Out Right Now
1. Oriole It’s multicourse and pricey, but the food is divine—and you can wear jeans. 661 W. Walnut St., 312-877-5339 2. Duck Duck Goat Admit it: You are intensely curious about goat fried rice. 857 W. Fulton Market, 312-902-3825 3. Roister The Alinea Group goes...
Want To Know What Your Restaurant’s Worth?
What’s my business worth? It's a question any restaurant owner asks—and why not? Everyone wants to know how much his or her home is worth, right? Unlike real estate, a business is worth the income it generates multiplied by a factor of usually two to three times the...
There’s a Saved By The Bell Pop-Up Restaurant Coming to Chicago
Alright, Preppies, here's your chance to chow down like your favorite Bayside High teens. A replica of Saved By The Bell's The Max is serving diner fare in Chicago starting in June. Saved By The Max goes full-on '90s sitcom right down to the payphone. The Wicker Park...
Pros And Cons Of Soft Openings vs. Grand Openings
When MAD Social opened in Chicago in February, it ran an entire week of soft openings to prepare for serving its real, paying clientele. “We ran it as mock service to give our staff a chance to prepare and discover anything that needed changing,” says Gina Stefani,...
How To Obtain A Liquor License In 93 Minutes
Opening a business that requires a liquor license can be a rewarding endeavor. The City of Chicago is committed to assisting you through the process and helping you succeed. Obtaining a liquor license is a comprehensive process that involves both community input and...
Why Chicago BYOB’s Like Nobody’s Business
Ian Adams is a big fan of BYOB restaurants. Like many Chicagoans, he started factoring in whether or not he could bring his own booze to a restaurant in his early twenties, when every little bit helped stay within his dining budget. But over time he realized there was...
How To Keep Competitors From Invading Your Turf
Before signing a lease at a retail center or mixed use development, check to make sure you have some protection against potential competitors. You are all smiles as you drive up to your restaurant. A year after the grand opening, lines are still out the door and your...
Are There Just Too Many Restaurants?
Wallace B. Doolin, chairman and founder of TDn2K, predicts big trends coming for the restaurant industry: Several years ago, I drove around the Phoenix market with a franchise owner who had successfully navigated the build-and-bust cycles in the telecom industry. As...
Managing Growth: When Should Your Restaurant Expand?
Timing is everything when you own a restaurant. When do you add seating? Is it time to hire new employees? Does it make sense to extend hours? Is there a need to launch a new marketing campaign? Managing growth is a challenge for many small business...
Study: More Restaurant Customers Willing To Pay For Reservations
Third-party booking sites could pave the way for acceptance of reservation fees, says new study. Would you ever dream of charging your guests for a reservation? Few restaurants are in demand enough to get away with it. But a study by Cornell University found that...