Community Corner
Incentive Package Proposed for Buyer of Former Crabigales Building
The owner has proposed opening the Lockdown Bar & Grill in the downtown location that was once Crabigales Comedy Club and Restaurant.
The man who plans to buy the former Crabigales building will receive a $250,000 renovation credit from the city of Joliet if the entire downtown building is brought up to code and the new restaurant/bar opens within six months of purchase.
The incentive package also calls for owner PJ Zonis, who will pay $250,000 for the building, to receive an annual rebate on the 1 percent food and beverage tax for every $100,000 he invests into the business for up to three years. The building, located at the corner of Cass and Chicago streets, will be added to the downtown TIF district.
"I don't think there's any secret that the restaurant business in downtown Joliet is a challenge," City Manager Tom Thanas said, explaining the incentives to the council's Economic Development Committee Tuesday. "There's no risk to the city (in offering these tax breaks), no obligation to pay anything."
The city came to own the three-story structure at 1 E. Cass St., known by some as the Loughran Building, when it was donated to Joliet by the Turk family more than a decade ago, Thanas said. In 2004, it was sold for $1 to Brian Graf, who sunk more than $500,000 into renovating the building for use as Crabigales Comedy Club and Restaurant.
When that business foundered in 2006 and Graf died in 2008, it ended up in foreclosure and ownership reverted back to the city, Thanas said. The same thing will happen if Zonis is unable to make a go of it, and the building ends up dormant again.
Zonis, a Lincolnwood native and University of St. Francis graduate, said that's not going to happen.
His plan is to take the blueprint he used for his 5-year-old Chicago business, Lockdown Bar & Grill, and apply it to his new venture here.
The restaurant will also be known as Lockdown, and it will feature the same award-winning food menu, craft beer selection and heavy metal/rock-'n'-roll theme, he said.
"I'm going to open it and I'm going to make it work," Zonis told the committee. "I really feel from the bottom of my hear that this was meant to happen. ... I know for sure I'm ready for this challenge."
Zonis said the business will be the perfect complement to the nearby MoJoes, a music venue at 22 E. Cass St. that brings in live entertainment and specializes in heavy metal bands. He said he anticipates they'll also draw customers from among people who work downtown, go to a show at the Rialto Square Theatre or gamble at Harrah's Casino.
They also hope to build a future customer base from the new Joliet Junior College building campus, which is currently under construction but will not be ready for occupancy for a couple of more years.
Despite the music theme and the concerts that will be shown on TVs, the main emphasis will be on innovative and quality food, Zonis said. His Chicago business was just profiled on the WTTW (Channel 11) show "Check, Please."
The committee gave its endorsement to the project and forwarded it to the full council for review, with the proviso that the structure be brought up to code before opening. That means removing all asbestos from the upper floors, Councilman Larry Hug said.
That won't be a problem, said Ryan Kolar, an architect and partner in the Joliet venture.
And both Kolar and Zonis eschewed any concerns over getting people to come to downtown Joliet, despite the lack of on-site parking and the perception of some that downtown is a high-crime area.
Zonis said they'll rely heavily on the Internet and social media to tell the public about Lockdown, including how to get there and where to park. And having crowds, bouncers and lights at night is the best way to keep crime away, he said.
If all goes according to plan, they could be open by spring, Zonis said.
"I don't think there's any secret that the restaurant business in downtown Joliet is a challenge," City Manager Tom Thanas said, explaining the incentives to the council's Economic Development Committee Tuesday. "There's no risk to the city (in offering these tax breaks), no obligation to pay anything."
The city came to own the three-story structure at 1 E. Cass St., known by some as the Loughran Building, when it was donated to Joliet by the Turk family more than a decade ago, Thanas said. In 2004, it was sold for $1 to Brian Graf, who sunk more than $500,000 into renovating the building for use as Crabigales Comedy Club and Restaurant.
When that business foundered in 2006 and Graf died in 2008, it ended up in foreclosure and ownership reverted back to the city, Thanas said. The same thing will happen if Zonis is unable to make a go of it, and the building ends up dormant again.
Zonis, a Lincolnwood native and University of St. Francis graduate, said that's not going to happen.
His plan is to take the blueprint he used for his 5-year-old Chicago business, Lockdown Bar & Grill, and apply it to his new venture here.
The restaurant will also be known as Lockdown, and it will feature the same award-winning food menu, craft beer selection and heavy metal/rock-'n'-roll theme, he said.
"I'm going to open it and I'm going to make it work," Zonis told the committee. "I really feel from the bottom of my hear that this was meant to happen. ... I know for sure I'm ready for this challenge."
Zonis said the business will be the perfect complement to the nearby MoJoes, a music venue at 22 E. Cass St. that brings in live entertainment and specializes in heavy metal bands. He said he anticipates they'll also draw customers from among people who work downtown, go to a show at the Rialto Square Theatre or gamble at Harrah's Casino.
They also hope to build a future customer base from the new Joliet Junior College building campus, which is currently under construction but will not be ready for occupancy for a couple of more years.
Despite the music theme and the concerts that will be shown on TVs, the main emphasis will be on innovative and quality food, Zonis said. His Chicago business was just profiled on the WTTW (Channel 11) show "Check, Please."
The committee gave its endorsement to the project and forwarded it to the full council for review, with the proviso that the structure be brought up to code before opening. That means removing all asbestos from the upper floors, Councilman Larry Hug said.
That won't be a problem, said Ryan Kolar, an architect and partner in the Joliet venture.
And both Kolar and Zonis eschewed any concerns over getting people to come to downtown Joliet, despite the lack of on-site parking and the perception of some that downtown is a high-crime area.
Zonis said they'll rely heavily on the Internet and social media to tell the public about Lockdown, including how to get there and where to park. And having crowds, bouncers and lights at night is the best way to keep crime away, he said.
If all goes according to plan, they could be open by spring, Zonis said.
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