Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Yard House plan to open restaurants in the Block 59 dining/entertainment complex proposed for Naperville, but only if the city lifts beer and wine serving size restrictions that prevent the two national chains from selling menu-advertised drinks.
Neither restaurant will agree to be part of the development with the limitations in place, and if they pull out, other tenants — including The Cheesecake Factory, First Watch, Shake Shake and Stan’s Donuts — will likely terminate their leases as well, Brixmor Property Group project developer Andrew Balzer told the Naperville Liquor Commission Thursday.
Block 59, proposed for the northwest corner of Route 59 and Aurora Avenue and tentatively scheduled to open in 2025, is being marketed as a regional dining and entertainment destination.
The linchpins, Balzer said, are Ruth’s Chris and Yard House, but they will cancel their leases if they are unable to serve what they sell at their other locations. For the Yard House, that’s the “Half Yard” — a 32-ounce beer that’s part of their corporate brand identity — and for Ruth’s Chris, it’s 9-ounce glasses of wine.
Under Naperville codes, 24 ounces of beer and cider is the maximum serving size allowed and wine is limited to 6 ounces per serving.
If either restaurant opts out of the Naperville location because of the restriction and other tenants follow suit, the entire development will be put in jeorpardy, Balzer said.
Neither company has had restrictions placed on serving sizes at other locations, he said, and both receive positive feedback from the communities in which they’re located.
Yard House has 88 locations nationwide, with Illinois restaurants located in Lombard and Glenview. Ruth’s Chris’ 134 locations include spots in Northbrook and South Barrington.
Liquor commissioners said they aren’t concerned about allowing 9-ounce wine servings, noting that some restaurants are probably selling that size now because they are unaware of the limit, but worried that agreeing to a 32-ounce glass of beer would set a precedent and open the door to other businesses requesting the same.
Mayor Scott Wehrli, who serves as head of the liquor commission, said the city does not want to give unfair advantage to one business by approving a measure that’s not available to all.
The restaurant market in Naperville is very competitive, commissioners said, and a new benchmark would have to be set for all so that a newcomer had something that existing establishments did not.
“We are here for safety. We also have to focus on economic development as well,” Commissioner Tony Signorella. “My concern is the precedent being set.”
Former Mayor Steve Chirico, now a commission member, said the code was written when establishments were serving 25-ounce cans of beer, the equivalent of two beers, during last call, giving patrons a lot to drink just before closing time.
Commissioners questioned whether they could put a limit on the percentage of alcohol content served in the 32-ounce beers, but acknowledged the caveat could be hard to enforce.
Balzer said Yard House mostly serves Miller Lite or Coors Light in its namesake 32-ounce glass, and neither has a high alcohol content. The half-yard option makes up about 3% of beer sales during the week and 6% of beer sales on the weekend at its Lombard location, he said.
Christine Jeffries, president of the Naperville Development Partnership, said she supported the request for higher pour limits and believes that bartenders and servers are properly trained in Naperville to responsibly serve alcohol.
Beyond that, she said, it’s not as much alcohol as ordering a 60-ounce pitcher of beer or margaritas or a bottle of wine for the table, both of which can now be legally purchased.
“We haven’t had chaos with those items,” Jeffries said. “I have enough faith in Naperville and the Basset training we do here.”
Commissioners voted 5-0 to recommend the increased wine serving size but were divided on the larger beer size. The latter was approved with a 3-2 vote; Commissioners Kelly Douglas and Ray McGury voted against the change.
Both need Naperville City Council approval before they can be enacted. The council will review the requests at a future meeting.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
