Chicagoans will be able to grab a bite to eat later this year inside or on the rooftop seating area of a restaurant to be built in Maggie Daley Park under a deal approved Wednesday.
The Chicago Park District board OK'd a 10-year agreement allowing the Four Corners Tavern Group to design, build and operate the new restaurant along Monroe Street at the southern end of the park.
The Four Corners Tavern Group is based in Chicago and runs 11 bars, including the West End in the West Loop, Schoolyard in Lakeview and Benchmark on the Near North Side.
The company will pay an estimated $1.1 million to build the restaurant as well as for utilities such as garbage or snow removal, said Steve Lux, park district chief financial officer. On top of that, the company will pay the park district $75,000 a year in rent plus 5 to 10 percent of gross sales, he said. The more the restaurant makes in sales, the bigger the park district's cut will be. Lux said there will be no cost to the park district for the restaurant.
The concession permit agreement, which has the option of five 1-year extensions, also includes catering special events at the park and operating a concession kiosk, which will serve beverages and light fare near the ice skating ribbon and climbing wall.
The area where the restaurant would be located slopes down about 12 feet from the park to street level, said Rob Rejman, director of planning and construction for the park district.
"The concept they presented which we found very attractive was to extend Maggie Daley Park right over that area and tuck the restaurant below it and then have a transparent face around it," he said. "So it feels very indoor-outdoor, well-lit, glassy, very green, no loss of public park space, improved views and better connection of the restaurant to Maggie Daley Park."
The restaurant's roof will be covered with soil, grass and trees and have a plaza and seating areas, he said, but the building will be visible at street level on three sides.
The final design still needs to be worked out and approved by the park district but the target is to open in late fall, Rejman said. The concession kiosk, which is located by the ice ribbon and climbing wall, will open hopefully in a couple weeks, he said.
When the restaurant and bar opens, patrons can expect to see a menu with drinks and dishes such as tacos, burgers and salads and food for customers to grab and go for a picnic.
Last month, the ice skating ribbon, areas of the play garden and the renovated field house opened to the public at the 27.7-acre park. The park is expected to be completely open in the spring.
The park district board Wednesday also approved:
- A contract for $285,000 annually for the purchase, delivery and maintenance of wellness and fitness equipment including treadmills, weights, elliptical and rowing machines, stationary bikes and stair steppers from Life Fitness and Fitness Experience, LLC to go into 72 fitness centers citywide.
- A 3-year contract up to $570,000 to Digitas Inc. for the creation of a mobile app for the park district's Night Out in the Parks series of more than 1,000 events including concerts, performances and movies. The free app will allow users to search for events by neighborhood or park or current location, find park contact info and hours, get directions to the park and weather alerts, and share information on social media.
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