Tinley Man Brings Karaoke, 'Little Something Fun' To Oak Forest Spot

OAK FOREST, IL — Walter Narsolis wants one thing to be perfectly clear—he doesn't sing.

"I’m not a singer—I don’t sing karaoke," Narsolis said, laughing. "Let’s clear that up out of the gate."

The longtime Tinley Park resident hopes his reluctance to perform won't stop others from grabbing the mic. He has reinvented space at 162nd and Cicero, this time ready to debut it as a south suburban karaoke spot. Cheers Bar and Grill, 16200 S. Cicero Avenue, will soft-open beginning Jan. 11.

"A little something fun," Narsolis said.

Narsolis, who previously ran the space as an Original Maxwell Street location, decided to convert it into its newest concept, after the closure of his Cheers music venue in Midlothian. That location, near 147th and Cicero Avenue, closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, he told Patch.

After seeing both a taco and margarita bar, and then the well-established Polish sausage name flounder in the space at 162nd and Cicero, Narsolis thought he'd take it back to its roots: a bar. In 1957, it opened as bar Stanley's Forest Inn. That shuttered in 2008 amid a struggling economy, the Southtown Star reported.

"I thought, 'might as well revert it back to its original,'" Narsolis said.

Narsolis isn't new to entrepreneurship. He owns another Maxwell Street location in Crestwood; he has owned two locations of Fajitas Mexican restaurants, and also owns El Patron of Tinley Park. El Patron at 167th and Harlem specializes in tacos, tortas, and burritos.

He knows people have been expecting and hoping he'll open another music venue like the previous Cheers in Midlothian, but this is something different.

"A lot of people from Cheers are waiting for me to open up another big venue," Narsolis said.

But when mulling ideas for another concept at the space, he recalled his days at the helm of a different bar. Narsolis ran Bohica Bar and Grill, close to Midway Airport, for several years in the late '90s into early '00s.

"We had karaoke every Thursday there, and it was our best night of the week," Narsolis said. "I figured 'let me bring that back ... a little something fun."

Cheers will have an '80s vibe, he said—TV screens will play classic VH1 and MTV music videos from the '80s and '90s, he said.

He pulled that inspiration from the Fajitas location in Mokena, 19118 88th Ave. Run by his wife Amarie, screens there often play VH1 classics as customers dine.

"'One day I’m going to open up a bar that has music videos playing, instead of sports all over,'" Narsolis remembers thinking.

The Cheers menu will be limited at first, with plans to building on it in the future: hand-packed burgers, fresh chicken sandwiches, tacos, chicken wings, and quesadillas. He'll also feature Lindy's chili there, Narsolis said.

The kitchen will stay open late—until 11:30 p.m., he added. They'll open at 11 a.m., serving lunch and dinner. Video gaming will also be available.

"It’s going to be very fun," Narsolis said.

It won't be all karaoke, all the time, he stressed—but probably most of it. He's created a stage area for performers, and hopes to have acoustic music one night a week, too.

He seems undaunted by rolling with another business ideas. The Gage Park native was a long-time lube technician and previously owned three Jiffy Lube locations, before selling the last of them a year ago after two decades in the business.

He's excited for people to pull up a chair at Cheers, and said he's already thinking about fresh ideas for another of his businesses.

"I just won’t quit," he said, laughing.

Cheers Bar and Grill, 16200 S. Cicero, debuts for its soft opening beginning Thursday, Jan. 11, and will be open from 11 a.m. until approximately 11 p.m., business depending.