Tiki bar coming, dueling pianos returning to Rosemont
Pack up the accordions and move in some more modern ebonies and ivories - along with a touch of rattan decor - in a portion of the former Hofbräuhaus Chicago in Rosemont.
Pete's Piano Bar is set for an encore in the Parkway Bank Park entertainment district following its pandemic-forced closure last year. The dueling piano bar will be built out within a 5,000-square-foot portion of the former German beer hall, adjacent to the new 1,800-square-foot Tiki Tiki bar, village officials revealed Monday.
They previously announced plans to convert much of the 20,000-square-foot former Hofbräuhaus into Crust, a pizzeria and craft beer bar.
On Monday, the village board approved a $1.148 million sale of the portion of the building for Pete's and Tiki Tiki to a partnership led by Braden Real Estate's Marc Offit, Chicago bar owner Kevin Killerman and Pete's franchisee Corey Urbach.
Last month, the village inked a $2.165 million sale of 13,400 square feet of the building to father-and-son businessmen Joe and Mike Matuschka, who previously had a lease for Hofbräuhaus. After eight years, they decided to close the business amid rising costs and shrinking profits, while introducing the new pizzeria concept.
Mayor Brad Stephens never ruled out the return of the dueling piano bar to the once-bustling entertainment district because of its strong opening in November 2019. It's set to operate four or five days a week, while the neighboring tiki bar will be open daily, Stephens said.
"I think this is a good fit for the park," he said, noting that he considered a similar frozen drink bar when the entertainment district opened in 2012.
Though the three businesses will operate as separate, distinct venues, Crust pizza will be served at all three, Stephens added.
The piano bar's new location is about as big as its old one, which is now home to the Verilife recreational marijuana dispensary that opened in February.
The new venues are set to open this summer before Labor Day.
Also Monday, the board agreed to sell the two-story building that houses Sugar Factory and Adobe Gilas to Killerman for $4.7 million - a price much higher than what the village valued it, Stephens said. Killerman, who runs Sugar Factory, wanted to control the real estate, Stephens said.
At the same time, the village has been selling off more and more of its entertainment district properties.