Business & Tech
Charlie's Bar & Grill Redefines the Local Sports Bar
Owner Chuck Rizzo mixes a classy neighborhood tavern with sports haven in his new club.
Elmhurst has many sports bars and for the most part, they're pretty similar, with big-screen TV's, dart boards and jukeboxes.
Charlie's Bar and Grill, 122 S. York St., wants to do things differently. Owner Chuck Rizzo is redefining the sports bar by mixing its traditional, high-energy environment with an elegant, neighborhood tavern atmosphere. He's looking to give sports fans a place to watch their team, and and give everyday residents a place to meet friends or colleagues.
Opened last month, Charlie's offers customers a full dinner menu along with specialty drinks. Popular dishes include the wood-grilled skirt steak, braised pork sandwichand the spicy burger. The specialty drink menu offers microbrews, wines and the signature "Splash" cocktail.
Customers looking to host an event at the bar can book Charlie's second-floor banquet room. An events coordinator will work with clients to design a custom food and drink menu and plan the party from start to finish.
After success with his first club, Rizzo's in Naperville, Chuck Rizzo wanted to expand his business to his hometown, Elmhurst. He knew, however, that opening in Elmhurst would require a different approach than Rizzo's.
"Chuck wanted to customize this bar to Elmhurst. He's from Elmhurst and a York graduate. He knew the town was a very tight-knit community and built Charlie's as a welcoming, up-scale bar with a sports theme," manager Cathy Meany said.
Rizzo's intentions can be easily seen. Patrons can sit at the glossy bar and stare at the new plasma TVs or sit at the tables and order martinis and dishes many bars would consider exotic. It's only after examining pictures of sports icons like Charlie Gehringer on the walls and browsing the sports memorabilia that the theme becomes clear. If Charlie's was a drink, it would be two parts local hang-out and upscale club with a splash of sports.
The sports theme will likely come to life as the bar evolves this year. Meany says the staff can't wait to unveil its upcoming events.
"We've a got a couple of Chicago Bears players from the 1980s teams coming in to sign autographs," she said. "We've also booked a lot of live bands to play on the weekends. We'll be announcing a lot of new events very soon."
