DOWNTOWN — Brendan Sodikoff is bringing his acclaimed burgers to the Downtown riverfront.
Small Cheval, the more casual version of West Loop hamburger hot spot Au Cheval, will open this year in the new office tower at 150 N. Riverside Plaza, near Randolph and Canal, the tower's developer says.
Signs for the new restaurant are already posted near the tower's lobby.
Small Cheval will join Hannah's Bretzel, Starbucks, and a yet-to-be-named restaurant by Sodikoff and Chicago-based Four Corners Tavern Group at the 54-story cantilevered tower, which opened Monday.
Downtown's first Small Cheval is expected to open within six to eight months, said Tony Scacco, executive vice president of the tower's developer, Riverside Investment & Development Co. A spokesperson for Sodikoff's Hogsalt Hospitality did not return messages seeking comment.
The lobby at 150 N. Riverside Plaza. [DNAinfo/David Matthews]
Small Cheval is entering a restaurant race among developers fighting to lease up new towers just west of the confluence of the Chicago River. Gibsons plans to open a steakhouse in the new River Point tower, 444 W. Lake St., in the fall.
People sometimes wait for hours to snag a table at Au Cheval, 800 W. Randolph St. The "diner style bar and restaurant," as Au Cheval calls itself, is known for decadent cheeseburgers topped with fried eggs.
The Downtown Small Cheval will follow other outposts that opened in Wicker Park and River North. Eater on Tuesday first reported that Small Cheval was coming to 150 N. Riverside.
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