Juliet's Tavern Acquired By Successful Joliet Restaurateur

JOLIET, IL —Joliet restaurateur Bill Dimitroulas has made another big acquisition. On Friday afternoon, the owner of Joliet's CUT 158 Chophouse, Hamburgerseria and the Rosemary Cafe announced that he has acquired Juliet's Tavern located at 205 North Chicago St.

Dimitroulas told Joliet Patch he will keep the name Juliet's Tavern, but the menu is going to change. Juliet's promoted itself on social media as "Italian comfort food & cocktails are served in this 19th-century building with a cozy atmosphere."

"Arkas Foods Group is happy to announce the acquisition of Juliet's Tavern in downtown Joliet. Juliet's now joins Hamburgerseria, Cut 158 Chophouse and Rosemary Cafe all located within the city of Joliet," Friday's news release advised. "The aesthetically pleasing tavern will feature a brand new American-casual dining menu and is expected to reopen May 2021."

Dimitroulas said that Juliet's Tavern will be open six days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight "for your casual dining pleasure with rooms available for banquets and events."

Juliet's had been owned by Drake Rossi. The restaurant and tavern in downtown Joliet at the corner Cass and Chicago Street had been open periodically during the past year amid the coronavirus pandemic, but not since early October.

Back in January, Joliet Patch reported that Juliet's Tavern had been red-tagged by the Will County Health Department despite having been closed amid the pandemic. The issue with the red-tag involved a licensing permit, and within a day after Joliet Patch broke the news, the red-tag was removed from the front entrance door. However, Rossi never reopened Juliet's Tavern and the building has not been in use for the past six months.

But that's about to change soon.

Dimitroulas has emerged as one of Joliet's most successful high-end restaurant owners. He opened Rosemary Cafe in December at the former Sonny's Delite ice cream shop at 1730 Essington Road. Rosemary Cafe is up to 63 Google Reviews with a rating of 4.4 on a 5 scale.

His CUT 158 Chophouse at 158 North Chicago St. is one block away from Juliet's Tavern. CUT 158 has 143 Google Reviews and a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.

By far, his most popular and well-known Joliet restaurant is Hamburgerseria: Home of the Gourmet Burger, at 1015 Essington Road. Hamburgerseria has a staggering 1,419 Google Reviews and a rating of 4.6 stars out of 5.

Joliet Patch did a food review of Hamburgerseria on Dec. 3, 2020, headlined,"Hamburgerseria: Joliet's Best Burger Spot?"

"With his latest venture, president of Arkas Foods Group Bill Dimitroulas hopes to bring more variety and visitors into the downtown area giving the heart of Joliet a heartbeat once again," according to Friday's news release. "The group is planning two additional new concepts in the downtown area to be announced later this year."

Arkas Foods Group announced Friday it is now hiring for all front and back of the house positions throughout the group. "We are looking forward to adding another successful restaurant to Joliet's downtown area and giving job opportunities to those who mirror our passion for the restaurant industry," Friday's announcement of the Juliet's Tavern acquisition noted.