Elmhurst Restaurant And Bar Closes, But May Return

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst's Red Arrow Tap Room closed a couple of weeks ago in downtown, but the owner is not ruling out a return.

Owner Joseph Tota considers the latest development a relocation. He plans to open a new establishment at 818 Grove St. in Evanston in the fall.

"Our lease in Elmhurst was up," he said in an interview. "Instead of renewing, we found a better and more visible location in downtown Evanston."

In 2016, Red Arrow opened at 111 E. First St. Since then, it has opened locations called Tapville in the suburbs of Naperville, Rosemont, Aurura and North Aurora.

A few weeks ago, Tota said, the business signed a 10-unit deal in Texas. Another agreement has been signed for North Carolina.

"It's a success story," Tota said. "With the pandemic, there have been a lot of real estate opportunities. We're trying to take advantage of those."

As for Elmhurst, he said it's possible he may find a new local location.

"There is some really good real estate on York Street. We have the opportunity to possibly come back," Tota said. "The First Street location was a little removed from York Street. We're trying to find more visible locations."

On Wednesday, Fitz's Spare Keys, 119 N. York St., closed after a dozen years in business. It included a restaurant, bar, bowling alley, pool tables and a live music area.

In an interview last year, Tota said Red Arrow's model worked well in the pandemic.

"We have self-pour technology. Customers can order from a tablet at the table. They don't have to interact that closely with the server," Tota said. "Our concept works well with social distancing. Technology solves the problem."

Last year, Tapville launched an investor campaign on StartEngine.com, where it raised more than $1 million for its franchising plans, Tota said.