PEORIA — New bar and restaurant developments along Main Street in downtown are targeting November opening dates as construction and renovations are proving to be a lengthy task.
Developer Jeff Giebelhausen, who purchased the properties adjacent to the Madison Theater on Main Street along with fellow developer Gerald Ritterbusch, went before the Peoria Liquor Commission on Monday to request a six-month extension on the properties’ site approval for liquor sales while a gutting and renovation of the building takes place.
Giebelhausen told the commission they are still targeting a pre-Thanksgiving opening for the bars and restaurants they plan on putting in the spaces at 500 and 512 Main Street. Likewise, he said a planned expansion of Hoops Pub and Pizza, which Ritterbusch purchased last year, should be open in late July.
The developers are “learning something new” about the building every day, Giebelhausen told the commission, adding that Ritterbusch’s purchase of Hoops last year led to an entire redesign of the project.
Speaking with the Journal Star after the meeting, Giebelhausen said the building is “great” but the reality is it’s been hard work. The developers are stripping things down to “bare bones” he said.
Still, Giebelhausen said the goal remains to turn the space into something great for the community and the challenge now is just maximizing the square footage of the building.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: New bars, restaurants in Downtown Peoria targeting fall opening
Reporting by JJ Bullock, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
