Bill Veremis and Gregg Horan have known each other for at least 25 years as managers of two competing Rosemont restaurant giants.
After both “retired” two years ago, they decided they had to go into business together, they said. The location of the recently opened The Greggory, 100 W. Higgins Road in South Barrington, was calling their names.
“We chatted,” said Horan, the former manager of Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse in Rosemont for 26 years. “We have been sitting on this spot for a long time. We decided to start a hospitality company, and this is our first project.”
“Living in the area, I saw a need for a good independent restaurant,” said Veremis, a former managing partner at Rosewood Restaurant, 9421 W. Higgins Road in Rosemont for 25 years. “We want to cater to the area and meet the community’s needs.”
The sprawling Greggory space, which had been vacant since the pandemic, was originally planned as a music venue, but those plans were abandoned, Horan said.
“We want to bring big city food to the ’burbs,” he said.
Veremis said The Greggory, which opened two weeks ago, is designed to serve the burgeoning dining population around South Barrington. It is open seven days a week.
“People want a place they can come to every day and also on weekends for special occasions,” he said. “People are tired of driving to the city.”
The Greggory, which contains a full-service bar area that connects to the main dining area, features classic American fare with a Mediterranean influence.
“You can get a burger and a glass of wine or spend $150 a head,” Horan said. “Our intention is to establish a neighborhood cornerstone.”
The restaurant was named after Horan, even though his full name is only Gregg, not Greggory, Veremis said.
“The Greggory is an antichain,” he said. “We want to know our customers and want our customers to know us.”
Customers are greeted with a view of a wood-fired rotisserie grill in the kitchen upon entry. “It’s a gathering point, figuratively and literally,” Veremis said. “Many memories are created when family and friends gather.”
So far the prime rib, which diners can view on the rotisserie from their tables, has been a “runaway hit,” he said. “The steak sandwich and frites is great bar food, as is the cheeseburger and prime rib sandwich. We have a variety of bar bites and apps.”
All of the food is locally grown from Slagle Farms, about an hour and a half south of The Greggory, Horan said.
Veremis said the fish is all fresh-caught, and the flour used to make fresh pasta in-house is flown in from Italy.
Jose Sosa, who worked at Gibsons Italia for 15 years, is the chef.
“He is truly responsible at Gibsons for developing the menu,” Horan said. “They’re still using his recipes.”
The Greggory features a 3,000-bottle wine cellar and serves single glasses of 20 different wines, he said.
The South Barrington area diner is “well-traveled and well-educated,” Veremis said.
“They do appreciate some of the finer things,” he said. “That’s why we are offering a higher level culinary experience, but on Tuesday night you might just want to sit at the bar and have corned beef bites and an old-fashioned.”
The bar area features 70 seats and a full menu, Horan said.
“We have a very bar-forward presence,” he said. “It has its own action and scene.”
When the weather warms, the outdoor patio will seat about 90 people, Veremis said.
Currently, the restaurant serves only dinner, but is considering offering a weekend brunch, he said.
The bar opens at 3 p.m. daily and the restaurant opens for dinner at 4 p.m., Veremis said.
Phil Rockrohr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
