SOUTH LOOP — Mac Kelly's will open its third location in the South Loop in mid-August, and for the first time it won't have a lengthy salad bar where patrons can assemble their own meals.
Instead, the restaurant will serve plated salads, burritos, paninis and other lunch and dinner fare. Owner Bruce Segal says the format change was a necessity since the restaurant at 1347 S. Michigan Ave. is less than half the size of his two other Loop locations.
Lizzie Schiffman explains how this location will need to be a bit different than the other Mac Kelly's:
"The other places that we have are like 2,000 square feet, 3,000 square feet," he said. "This one's just about 1,000 square feet. I just couldn't pack everything in there."
Ditching the salad bar was a sacrifice Segal was willing to make to get a Mac Kelly's location in his beloved South Loop neighborhood. Segal moved Downtown about 3½ years ago after more than a decade commuting to Chicago every day from Dyer, Ind.
"I can't wait to get open there," he said. "Tons of people have been stopping by, checking out the menus we've got in the window. I had about 20 to 30 people stop me in the area there asking about the place, so it's got a lot of positive feedback from all the neighbors. Everyone says they're looking forward to it."
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