Corner Bar Is Dream Come True for Man From Oz

IRVING PARK — John Sheahan has bars in his blood, with pub ownership in his family dating back more than a 100 years.

So taking over a corner bar in Chicago came naturally to him — he just had to move nearly 10,000 miles to do it.

Sheahan, who hails from Australia, is the proud new owner of 3135 W. Montrose Ave. — formerly Brendan's Too, with a name change to be announced Friday — along with his wife Jen Sheahan and her brother Terry Hanson.

Patty Wetli discusses the bar owners' vision for their neighborhood spot:

The venture makes more sense once you learn that Jen and Terry grew up in Lakeview, part of the family that still owns the Bob Inn in Logan Square.

The Sheahans moved to the U.S. with their three sons in January — Jen has lived in Oz for the past 18 years — and Hanson left his job in the Obama White House in March, all converging on Chicago to realize their dream of running a family business.

"The one thing we've been talking about is a cozy neighborhood bar where everyone feels welcome," said Jen, who has a background in marketing and advertising. "This is what our grandfather had, what John's family had."

For the Sheahans, making the leap came down to timing.

John, who's "coming up on 50," said, "I've worked in corporate business for 20 years. I got sick of wearing suits. There was good opportunity here, Terry is here. It became a matter of picking the right location."

After scouting properties for more than a year, the partners settled on Brendan's, which had the corner bar feel they were looking for and was situated in an area that reminded them of the more diverse Lakeview of their childhood.

Having undergone a makeover within the past decade, Brendan's didn't require a lot of cosmetic changes — mostly just brighter lighting — but the new owners discovered they had a bit more work to do on the reputation side.

Ignore Brendan's Yelp reviews, they say, which all refer to the previous operator.

"We're encouraging people to give us another try," said Jen.

What patrons will find: A traditional corner bar that offers "good price and a variety of choice" for people who "just like to go out and have a beer and not break the bank," according to John.

There's no kitchen, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to eat. People are welcome to bring their own food or order in from a neighboring restaurant.

The beers on tap are nearly all local Illinois, Wisconsin or Midwestern brews, and the bar also supports local craft distillers. The wine selection has a heavy Australian accent.

"I feel like America is so good at craft beer and Australia is not," said John. "But Australia is very good at wine — we'll marry that up."

Look for John, Jen and Terry to all take their turn behind the bar.

"We've made it a point to be very present," said Terry. "There's zero degrees of separation between us and the people walking in."

Over the past two months, during the bar's "soft opening," the partners have received plenty of advice from the Hansons' uncle, Jimmy, who runs Bob Inn, and has shared his wisdom on everything from how to stock their bar to how to order supplies.

"We've talked his ear off," said John. "He's been a huge help."

Now the three are ready to unveil the fruits of their labors during grand opening festivities this weekend, with drink specials, tastings and live music on tap.

The bar's new name will also be unveiled and no, it has nothing to do with putting a "shrimp on the barbie," a joke that John Sheahan has heard to no end.

It also won't be Foster's, a beer that isn't remotely popular in Australia.

Said John, "We export all that crap to you guys."