LAKEVIEW — Two longtime friends are opening a Cheers-inspired neighborhood bar in the space that once housed 3160 Piano Bar & Cabaret.
"I think there's a big market out there for people who want to have a Cheers, who want to know the people and create their own family within a bar," said Jason Zdebski, who co-operates the newly minted Shakers on Clark.
"That's what [3160] has been, and we want to keep that going."
Zdebski and his business partner Mark Friedlander were both bartenders at 3160 Piano Bar & Cabaret, which closed its doors on July 29.
Longtime owner Jim Flint told the Windy City Times last month "it was time" to shut down. He'd operated the piano bar at 3160 N. Clark St. since 2006, and ran another concept called Annex 3 for nearly two decades before that.
"I'm getting older and just did not have as much time to run it anymore," he said.
While the news came as a blow to some loyal fans, Zdebski and Friedlander saw an opportunity. The longtime friends — who have extensive bartending and management experience — had been talking for several years about opening their own bar.
"We thought: What better place?" Zdebski said. "We know the clientele. We know the area."
The duo renamed the bar Shakers on Clark and got to work. They repainted the interior with bright cobalts and lime, bought flatscreen TVs and installed new taps.
They plan a soft opening for Tuesday night, and a grand opening is slated for Wednesday.
In time, Shakers on Clark will offer regular bingo nights, trivia, Oscar viewing parties, live music and private events. The bar has dart boards, a pool table and a juke box — plus five TV "boxes" to screen football and baseball games.
"We're kind of in the middle right here," Zdebski said. "We're not on Halsted. We're not in Wrigleyville. But we can get both types of clientele.
"We want to be part of every community," he said, "whether you're a lesbian or gay couple out on a date, or a couple guys that want to watch sports on TV. I think Chicago has become a city where everybody meshes, and there's not that line drawn."
Bartenders who worked at 3160 Piano Bar & Cabaret will keep their jobs through the transition, Zdebski said, adding that they help create the bar's "family feeling."
Shakers on Clark won't serve food, but the staff has a growing stash of takeout and delivery menus. Outside food is always welcome.
Shakers on Clark, 3160 N. Clark St., opens at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Normal hours start the following afternoon. The bar is open 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday to Friday, noon-3 a.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
