SUN CITY – Sometime in late March, Jameson’s Tavern and Grill will open in Sun City’s Prairie Lodge.
This will end an “eating out” hiatus that has frustrated Sun Citians since the Walleye Grill closed last fall.
Jameson’s Tavern and Grill (an offshoot of Jameson’s Charhouse) brings a fresh and trusted menu and necessary renovations to old Walleye Grill spot. (Photos by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
The Sun Day learned exclusively of this major culinary development last week from George Arsoniadis, who will be one of the new eatery’s general managers, and Angela Henline, another Jameson’s manager. Both are currently managing the new Joe’s Kitchen and Tavern, another Jamison restaurant recently opened on Western Avenue next to Spring Hill Mall in Carpentersville.
Arsoniadis said a contract between Jameson’s and the Sun City Community Association Board of Directors will be finalized and formally announced at the next board meeting on Feb. 16. This date and planned action was confirmed earlier by a CAM board member, who declined to identify the vendor. At a Charter Group Presidents’ meeting on February 4, it was announced that negotiations with vendors are ongoing, and that a “soft” (non-advertised) opening of a new restaurant is tentatively planned for March, and a formal, grand opening for sometime in April.
“We expect to open sometime around the middle to end of March,” Arsosniadis said on February 4. “We will renovate the kitchen immediately, might do some redecorating, and we will operate the pub area very similar to the way it was before the Walleye Grill closed. We will operate all food and beverage activities and facilities for lunch and dinner and special events in the Prairie Lodge, including Drendel Hall and the solarium room next to the restaurant.”
Sun City’s need for a new food vendor apparently coincided with Jameson’s current expansion mode in the northwest suburban area. Jameson’s Charhouse, the parent company, currently operates a restaurant on Northwest Highway in Crystal Lake, and at many other locations in the Chicago area.
“We will offer a full range of American-style menu items and ambience, from casual soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunch, to gourmet burgers and steaks, seafood, and chops for dinner,” Arsoniadis said. “It will be very similar to the menu we have now at Joe’s Kitchen near Spring Hill, and the menu we offer at all of Jameson’s locations.”
The Walleye Grill was closed last October, after the CAM board revealed that its operator, Twelfth Night, failed to pay its financial obligations. Subsequent negotiations to resolve the situation failed to produce an agreement. The closing not only shut down the only eating establishment on Sun City property, it has forced many Sun City charter clubs, organizations, and neighborhoods to find other vendors to cater events, or to conduct activities elsewhere.
Jameson’s will be the fourth vendor to operate food and beverage activities since the Prairie Lodge opened in 1998.
