The fence at Gary Avenue and Schick Road still has a lot of dirt behind it. When the Daily Herald's editorial board drove past on a Saturday in early October, earthmoving equipment was working the former Stratford Square site and Bloomingdale Yard looked on schedule. The first restaurants at The Grove at Bloomingdale aren't expected until the fourth quarter of 2027.
Bloomingdale doesn't have to wait that long to see what's coming. Two of the operators headed for the old mall already share a building in Rosemont's Parkway Bank Park, a village-backed entertainment district much like the one Bloomingdale is building. Most of the rest of the lineup has places open in DuPage and the nearby suburbs. You can taste most of The Grove's announced dining before the lake is even filled.
Five names, and where each one serves today
The Daily Herald reported on September 9 that the first five restaurants are GIA MIA, Hacienda Real, a contemporary Greek restaurant from Chicago-based Forte Hospitality Group that hasn't been named yet, and two Boston imports, Game On! and Loretta's Last Call. According to the same story, the five restaurants will own the plots they build on. That gives each one more of a stake in the site than a typical mall lease would.
| Coming to The Grove | Operator | Where to try the operator now |
|---|---|---|
| GIA MIA | BG Hospitality Group | Wheaton, 106 N. Hale St.; Lombard, 310 Yorktown Shopping Center; Elmhurst, 116 E. Schiller Ave. |
| Hacienda Real | Arechiga family | Bolingbrook, 250 S. Weber Road; also Geneva, Yorkville, Vernon Hills |
| Unnamed Greek restaurant | Forte Hospitality Group | Nisi Greek Grill, 5509 Park Place, Rosemont |
| Game On! | Lyons Group | Boston only; Kings Dining & Entertainment, 5505 Park Place, Rosemont, has a similar games-and-screens mix |
| Loretta's Last Call | Lyons Group | Boston only, at 1 Lansdowne Street |
GIA MIA is the easiest one to check out. The Bloomingdale location will be its ninth, serving the same lineup of Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza, fresh pasta, small plates and handmade mozzarella. BG Hospitality founder and president Brian Goewey said in the announcement release that Bloomingdale "feels like a natural next step." If you've had dinner on Hale Street in Wheaton, you already know what the Grove version will taste like.
Hacienda Real takes more driving. Its closest spots are in Bolingbrook and the Fox Valley. The Daily Herald describes its rooms as heavy on authentic decor with flaming cocktails. WhatNow Chicago reported this February that the Bolingbrook opening is run by co-owners Carlos and Oswaldo Arechiga, with sizzling fajitas, carne asada and handmade tacos on the menu.
Park Place in Rosemont is the closest thing to a preview
The table points to one address more than any other. At 5509 Park Place in Rosemont, Lyons Group, the company bringing Game On! and Loretta's Last Call, owns the building where Forte Hospitality Group, which is bringing the Greek concept, just opened its newest restaurant. Those two companies account for three of The Grove's five restaurants.
Lyons Group has been in Rosemont a long time. Patrick Lyons, a co-founder of the original House of Blues, helped Rosemont develop Parkway Bank Park, according to the Daily Herald, and the paper lists Kings Dining & Entertainment among the district's eateries. Kings at 5505 Park Place is still open, with food, cocktails, bowling, billiards, arcade games and screens. That's close to the mix of sports, games and bar food Game On! plans for Bloomingdale.
Next door, the building has changed hands in a way that tells you how these districts work. A separate Daily Herald report from September 14 laid it out. The space opened in 2012 as Five Roses Pub. It later became Saltwater Coastal Grill, which closed in early August after three years. Lyons Group has owned the building since 2022 and is subletting it to Forte, which has turned it into Nisi Greek Grill. Rosemont trustees approved $300,000 for remodeling and signage, mostly as a loan.
Nisi opened October 9. Forte describes it as island-style Greek with seafood, steaks and plates meant for sharing. It serves dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Nobody has said what the Bloomingdale Greek restaurant will be called or exactly what it will serve. Right now, Nisi is the newest look at how Forte does Greek food in a suburban entertainment district.
This is also why the Rosemont comparison keeps coming up. Lyons told the Daily Herald he sees Bloomingdale Village President Franco Coladipietro as a "visionary mayor" in the mold of Rosemont's Brad Stephens. Coladipietro said he flew to Boston to visit the group's restaurants before signing them. The developer behind The Grove picked operators who already know how to run inside a district owned and shaped by a village.
Forte has a third Greek project much closer to home. Its site lists Ethos Taverna at 7528 W. North Ave. in Elmwood Park, with a charcoal grill, meze and Greek wine. The listed opening is fall 2026, with no date posted.
The two that still need a plane ticket
Game On! and Loretta's Last Call are the only Grove tenants with nothing open in Illinois yet. Both sit at the Fenway end of Lansdowne Street in Boston. Game On! is at 82 Lansdowne, with two floors, 50-plus HD screens and a 16-foot projector. Loretta's is at 1 Lansdowne, serving Southern food with live country music, line dancing and moonshine cocktails.
Chicago Food Magazine reported that Bloomingdale will be Loretta's first location in Illinois and the Midwest. The Bloomingdale plans include its hot-and-crispy chicken and line dancing every Sunday and Wednesday. Game On!'s Bloomingdale version will add Pop-A-Shot and billiards to the TV walls, which will play game audio. Both brands also list Salem, New Hampshire locations opening in early 2027. So Bloomingdale is part of an expansion happening at the same time in two regions.
What's actually rising at Gary and Schick right now
Bloomingdale Yard will open before any of the restaurants. It's a 100,000-square-foot indoor sports and family recreation center from The Yard, which Bill Gust started in Westmont. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the plans include soccer and football leagues, full-service child care, after-school sports and a children's playroom. It was one of residents' top requests during the village's 2022 public engagement. The village expects about 260,000 visitors a year. The Yard is still expected to open in the first half of 2027.
By June, the Daily Herald reported precast concrete walls going up at the Yard and village utilities in place, with the central lawn and lake next in line. The plans show that lawn turning into an ice rink in winter, next to a lake with water features. Kohl's is still there as a stand-alone store, with the Yard going in roughly northeast of it.
After the restaurants, the village plans apartments, townhouses and a 33,000-square-foot building for fast-casual eateries and retail. Coladipietro has described full build-out as a five-to-eight-year process. He told the Daily Herald, "I know for the residents, it seems like forever." He also called the project "an infrastructure investment in our community."
A preview weekend, in order
- Friday dinner in Wheaton. GIA MIA at 106 N. Hale St. is the Grove tenant you can try with the least effort.
- Saturday night in Rosemont. Start at Nisi Greek Grill, 5509 Park Place, which is open until 10 p.m. Then walk next door to Kings at 5505 Park Place for bowling, the closest local stand-in for Game On!'s games-and-screens setup.
- Sunday drive past Gary and Schick. Check the Yard's progress from the street, then mark your calendar for the first half of 2027.
When I list a home, I spend a lot of time on what's down the street, because buyers ask about it. In Bloomingdale right now, that's the fence at Gary and Schick and the schedule behind it. If you're thinking about selling and want to talk about how The Grove timeline could play into your listing, Francesco Campobasso will walk you through it. Get Your Free Home Valuation, and bring your Rosemont dinner notes.
