1836 Drink Lab Closed For Good, Will Reopen As Pizza Arcade

YORKVILLE, IL — Just months after opening, a downtown Yorkville restaurant abruptly closed on Wednesday. The owners of 1836 Drink Lab and Provisisons, 101 W. Van Emmon St., announced Wednesday morning that the restaurant has closed for good and will reopen this summer as a totally new concept.

Signed by the members of Minor Threat Restaurant Group — which also owns Sovereign restaurant in Plainfield and Crusade Burger Bar in Yorkville — the notice said the eatery, known for craft cocktails and upscale food, will become Pizza Riot.

"Pizza, Beer and Games will be making its debut some time before summer….," the post said. "We’ve decided we want a place that our children will be proud of, while your children have fun and you enjoy the best pizza this side of the cook county border."

The eatery will offer pizza, craft beer, arcade games, pinball "and a whole lotta fun," according to the owners.

"As sad as it is to say goodbye to 1836, we should all be excited for this new concept. Its gonna be thee hub for great food, great times and great drink, while being able to hang in an environment anyone could enjoy," the post said.

The reaction from fans was mixed, with some expressing disappointment but wishing the partners luck in their new venture, some saying they were excited for Pizza Riot and others saying they were sad to see 1836 go. "Get out of the mindset of ‘we do what we like despite the public opinion’. Without the public you’re nothing. You have to know your customer," one critic wrote.

Others seemed to think the owners didn't give 1836 a fair shake. "You open in winter and can’t make it to spring!? The weather has to turn before you can expect real traffic," one person said.

The Minor Threat partners were sued by investors in their original restaurant, Sovereign, in August. The suit accuses the restaurateurs of improperly funneling thousands of dollars in investments to launch several more businesses, including 1836. That case is still pending in Will County, with a status hearing set for March 14. A forcible entry case against Sovereign was dismissed March 1, according to Will County court records.

On Facebook, part owner Dale Lewis expressed anger about Patch's story on 1836 closing, with Minor Threat attorney John Argoudelis expressing surprise and calling it "misleading" due to the mention of the Sovereign lawsuit.

When contacted by Patch, Argoudelis didn't dispute any of the facts in the article but said, "I feel it is misleading in that the Sovereign litigation has absolutely nothing to do with why they closed 1836 and the article has nothing to do with any of the litigation."

Minor Threat owns Sovereign, 1836 and Crusade Burger Bar, with plans to bring an "artisan urban market" housed in a former trolley barn to downtown Plainfield featuring restaurants, a brewery, coffee roaster, distillery and more. The project would be known as The Sanctuary.

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