Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Vestinos.
Peter, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We had the space for Sparrow for a little bit and it sat empty as we focused on the sister bar, The Betty, in the west loop. So we had a good amount of time to think about it.
I was asked what I had always wanted to do for a bar – and my answer was a 1930s Havana styled bar. I have also always been fascinated with hotel lobby bars. In Chicago, we have beautiful architecture and some amazing hotels with wonderful bar spaces. Unfortunately, the bars are mismanaged due to uninspired F&B managers and poorly trained bartenders. So I wanted to somehow combine the idea of a solid well-run lobby bar with the imagery of Havana. As we started to research the building, we found the space had been a bar for almost the entire time the building had been there and the building initially house single office workers living in the city in the 1930s and 1940s.
We started thinking about them coming home and making the bar their last stop. Then we saw some early renderings from the design company and they had elements of Miami Art Deco. All of this then just came together to be Sparrow: A neighborhood hideaway that replicates the feeling of a Chicago hotel lobby bar while evolving the idea of a far off place, that place being Havana.
We build the bar around rum, but we have a great selection of spirits across the board as well as a wine list that focuses on sparkling and a beer list which focuses on pilsners.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d say for the most part it has been smooth. We opened a small space with a clear focus, we had a well trained bar team and no kitchen to worry about.
I’d say the biggest challenge we had is that same one any opening has, which is sorting out your customers. Any opening will bring in one-time curious customers who want to tell you should change or be what they want you to be. They’ll either like you or they won’t. But then the ones that do like you will come back and will bring friends, and that’s what has happened with Sparrow. We didn’t have a big opening announcement, just opened quietly and let people find us and things have been getting busier every week.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sparrow – what should we know?
Footman Hospitality is the parent company of The Betty, Bangers and Lace, Bucktown Pub, and Anthem.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Experience, Consistency and Curiosity.
I’ve been in the bar business for 15 years and the last 10 of it focusing on cocktails. I’ve studied my wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, sake and other products on the market. I’ve been a bartender, a bar manager, a distributor and a supplier. I’ve travelled the world visiting distilleries and wineries, attending seminars and speaking at seminars. I’ve seen trends come and go and I’ve seen places succeed and fail. I think you need to have well rounded experience to know your product, how to organize that product, how to deliver it, and how to correct when things aren’t going right.
I like training bartenders and bar teams. It’s one of my favorite things to do and I think I do it well. And part of this is instilling a sense of pride and consistency.
Curiosity is something I have to keep reminding myself to be. When you are focused too much on one project or job, you forget to wander into other territories. And this curiosity is often what sparks inspiration.
Pricing:
- Signature Cocktails are $12
- Mondays we do $5 Daiquiris all day
Contact Info:
- Address: 10 West Elm St, Chicago 60610
- Website: http://www.sparrowchicago.com
- Instagram: SparrowChicago
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparrowchicago
Image Credit:
EBK Photography
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