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Grand Tour Temporarily Closed to 'Re-Concept'

By Patty Wetli | November 6, 2014 8:54am
 Open less than a year, Grand Tour is on hiatus while owners revamp the restaurant's menu and concept.
Open less than a year, Grand Tour is on hiatus while owners revamp the restaurant's menu and concept.
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DNAinfo/Patty Wetli

LINCOLN SQUARE — Less than a year after opening, Grand Tour, which promised to offer patrons the dining equivalent of a backpacking trip through Europe, has temporarily closed to "re-concept."

The announcement was made via a sign taped to the restaurant's entrance: "Grand Tour is temporarily closing on 10/30/14 for a short re-concepting and menu revision period. Please visit our website at www.grandtourchicago.com for an update on when we will reopen. Thank you."

The website is currently "unavailable" and Grand Tour's social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter haven't been updated since Sept. 27, at which point the restaurant/bar was still actively promoting drink specials and upcoming entertainment.

In August, Chicago Eater reported that chef Roger Herring had exited Grand Tour, 2434 W. Montrose Ave., and that the menu was being revamped.

The Eater article quoted owner Jesse Boyle as saying, "We recognized that something was out of sync with the menu in regards to the location and the neighborhood."

Grand Tour, which boasted Blackhawks national anthem singer Jim Cornelison as an investor, had replaced the long vacant Paddy O'Splaines. In presenting his plans for Grand Tour to the community in February 2013, Boyle admitted he was initially skeptical about the location.

"There's a dearth of restaurants in that specific area," he said at the time.

On the one hand, that would mean little competition. On the other, "Why is no one here?" Boyle wondered. "What do they know?"

Boyle, who also owns Red Ivy in Wrigleyville, did not respond to a request from DNAinfo.com for further comment.

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