SOUTHPORT CORRIDOR — Deleece is closing down at the end of the year for renovations, fighting what the owner calls a "misconception" of being stuffy and overpriced.
It'll reopen in early January as the brand-new Grassroots, with a different menu and "downscale" style, said owner Lynne Wallack.
Wallack's plan is to make "simple food that's done really well" in a comfortable, child-friendly eatery. A new chef is bringing pizza and sandwiches to the menu, part of what Wallack hopes will make Grassroots seem "more accessible" than Deleece.
"We know we have a great location, and we wanted to make the most of it," Wallack told DNAinfo Chicago. "We love being next to the Mercury Theater and a couple doors from The Music Box. We just want to maximize the potential of this space."
Along with the new menu, Grassroots will have more natural decor, with reclaimed wood replacing leather upholstery aiming for a "warmer" look, Wallack said.
The end of Deleece is just one change of many to the Southport Corridor over the past six months. Among them:
• The two-story building that will house J. Crew and Soul Cycle in early 2016 is almost complete.
• Owners of Crosby's Kitchen are expanding next door.
• Mercury Theater is partnering with Deleece to open Venus, a restaurant with a live theater component, in the shuttered Cullen's.
• Mystic Celt will close after Jan. 2, according to the Southport Corridor blog.
• Dairy Queen is closed for renovations but will be reopening in January. The building it calls home was put up for sale in August.
Up the street, newcomers like Frankie's on Southport and the planned Doña Tola can flourish north of Addison Street, where rent is more affordable, Wallack said.
"Smaller businesses are moving our way, and there's a lot more coming in our area," she said.
After four years at its current location and 16 at 4004 N. Southport Ave., Wallack has seen plenty of change not only on the street, but also in the restaurant industry.
"Everyone's going downscale after the economy tanked, because that's what consumers want now and what they can afford," she said.
Social media — particularly Yelp — has also had a huge impact, Wallack said. (And she's not the only one.)
"You just bend over backward now to please customers because you don't want these bad reviews, and they really do affect your business," she said.
For independent businesses, "it's harder" to make ends meet, Wallack added.
"For big [restaurant] groups, they open a new place and they sort of have an automatic notoriety. Those of us who are smaller and independent, we really fight for the business," Wallack said. "And you have to change to keep up with that."
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