Englewood Construction has its food service and restaurant group has embarked on two projects: Chicago’s first Earls Kitchen + Bar in the New City development near Halsted St. and Clybourn Ave., and a Buffalo Wild Wings in the Maxwell Building at Clinton and Taylor streets.
“These two Chicago eateries show that restaurant owners are confident in the improving economy and the future of Chicago,” said William Di Santo, president of the Lemont, Ill.-based contractor. “Our extensive urban and national restaurant experience allows us to quickly bring Chicagoans these exciting new dining options.”
The company describes in a news release Earls Kitchen + Bar as an upscale casual dining restaurant. It has 61 locations across Canada and five in the U.S.. The first Chicago venue will open in fall 2015.
“It’s thrilling to work with such an ambitious restaurateur in one of the most exciting developments in Chicago,” said Chuck Taylor, Englewood Construction’s director of operations. “We’ve been talking to Earls for a couple of years about their U.S. expansion.”
New City, bound by Halsted and Schiller streets and Ogden and Clybourn avenues, will include one million sq. ft. of commercial and residential space on 8.5 acres.
Earls Kitchen + Bar, the first restaurant under construction at New City, will also offer outdoor dining. “It will be a lively yet relaxed dining experience,” Taylor said. “The restaurant has a very high-end design throughout with an eclectic mix of wood and stone finishes.”
Englewood Construction’s urban restaurant and retail experience has proved essential at New City, the company says in its news release.
“Anytime we’re working in a brand new development, there are unique challenges,” Taylor said. “To get our work done at the same time that the bigger development is under construction requires a lot of coordination and communication with all the other tenants on issues such as material deliveries and removing debris. In addition, New City is at a dense urban intersection, which adds another layer of coordination in regards to timing and scheduling.”
South Loop gets Buffalo Wild Wings
Englewood says it also is building a fast casual, full-service restaurant for new client Buffalo Wild Wings in the South Loop at the corner of Taylor and Clinton streets in the recently built Maxwell Building. Slated to open in early fall 2015, Englewood will be constructing a multi-level restaurant for Buffalo Wild Wings, with dining on the main floor and a full-service kitchen on the second floor. It is the national chain’s second location in Chicago.
“Once again, we’re building a restaurant at a busy urban intersection,” Taylor said. “Our Chicago restaurant experience is a big reason Buffalo Wild Wings selected us for the project.”
