O'Hare's Pub in Bartlett moving next to new bowling alley
O'Hare's Pub and Restaurant in Bartlett, shuttered by pandemic regulations since October, is aiming for a March 1 opening date at a new location alongside the equally new Midway Landing Bowling Alley in the Streets of Bartlett shopping center downtown.
Village trustees Tuesday will discuss owner Peggy O'Hare Vance's request for a $50,000 grant from the Bartlett Economic Development Assistance program that's already received a unanimous recommendation from the economic development commission.
The total cost of improvements of the new space is $276,492, of which only $270,000 can be considered for the program due to the ineligibility of architect fees.
O'Hare's has already vacated its previous location at 207 S. Main St. where a breakfast and brunch restaurant - Trackside Diner - is preparing to move in, O'Hare Vance said.
Though carryout service hasn't proved effective for the business always intended as a gathering place, the current move wasn't inspired by the pandemic at all, she added.
"We wouldn't have moved if it wasn't for this center going up," O'Hare Vance said. "It's going to be such a draw."
The new pub and restaurant location will be between the 16,000-square-foot state-of the-art bowling alley and Magnolia Wedding & Events. O'Hare's will be the food vendor for the bowling alley and be among four sit-down restaurants in Streets of Bartlett.
Its new location in the former Bartlett Fresh Market space will have seating for 100 inside with 24 more in a lighted and heated space outside.
Streets of Bartlett is a rebranded redevelopment of the former Bartlett Plaza, whose new owners received two previous $50,000 economic development grants from the village in October 2018 and September 2019.
This will be the third location for O'Hare's, which began its journey through Bartlett at the former Sheep & Fiddle site in the Bartlett Square shopping center on Army Trail Road in late 2013.
The restaurant moved to Bartlett Town Center, across from village hall and the police station, in October 2016.
O'Hare's tried to make the most of the available space in front of that second location last summer with outdoor music and additional seating in response to COVID-19 protocols.
And it might have been doing nothing right now besides waiting for that opportunity to return if the landlords of Streets of Bartlett hadn't approached the business to discuss relocating, O'Hare Vance said. She then helped find a new tenant for the old site.