HYDE PARK — After a year of hesitancy, the owner of the Harper Theater said Tuesday he would apply for a liquor license.
Owner Tony Fox originally promised the option of getting a beer from Chicago brewers like Half Acre or Goose Island when the theater at 5238 S. Harper Ave. reopened in January 2013, but was put off after permitting snafus delayed the first movie screening by months.
“It was exasperating to say the least, but I recovered quickly and I would like our customers [to have] the choice to get a drink,” Fox said.
He said he’s hoping to bring many of the Chicago beers he sells at his Rogers Park movie house, New 400 Theaters.
“Daisy Cutter is a big seller on the North Side,” Fox said of the pale ale from Half Acre Beer Company.
He said attendance has been very strong at the Hyde Park theater, but adding beer and wine will add options for customers and help the bottom line.
“It’s not make or break I’d say, but I would like to have it,” Fox said. “Margins are very tight and every little bit helps.”
He said he is also thinking of selling alcoholic slushies.
“You put the ice in a blender with a some Grenadine or lime juice and you put a shot of vodka in there and you have a lime slushy,” Fox said. “I just want people to have the option.”
Fox said the licensing process could take six months or longer, but he said he is hoping to have a license in two months.
