Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Parkinson.
Matt, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
• Born in Chicago, Illinois
• Raised in Santa Barbara, California
• Came back to Chicago for college, attended University of Chicago – History Major, Medieval Studies
• Received a Fulbright Scholarship, attended the University of Iceland for a year after graduating
• Worked at bars and restaurants throughout college and continued in the food and beverage industry for several years
• Held jobs as Server, Bartender, Manager, etc.
At a certain point in your career within the service industry, you have to decide whether to move on and pursue a ‘real job,’ or stay and commit to the industry long-term. I decided to take the latter route and began envisioning myself as a future restaurant/bar owner.
I approached my mother as a potential partner in the restaurant, as she has a few decades of experience on the business and accounting side of the industry, having worked as a CFO for a large restaurant ownership group in California. I thought her skill set would be a great complement to my operations and front-of-house managerial experience. Soon thereafter, we bought a building in Lincoln Park that had previously housed a restaurant and began converting it to achieve our vision.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We’ve definitely had our share of challenges, several of the largest hurdles occurred before we even opened. Shortly after beginning the gut rehab of our building, we encountered some structural issues and ended up getting into a multi-year lawsuit with the previous owners of the building. Once construction was ready to begin, we had difficulty pulling a building permit.
Once we got one, construction took much longer than expected. With our doors finally ready to open, we encountered yet another challenge when our application for a liquor license was denied due to community objections. Fortunately, we were able to garner support for our new establishment from key neighbors in the area, and the Liquor Commission’s decision was reversed.
But, all told, the obstacles cost us 11 years in court time, construction time, and political red tape before we could finally open our doors. The name of our restaurant, The Monkey’s Paw, is borrowed from the name of the short fiction story by W.W. Jacobs originally published in 1902. The moral of the story is: Be careful what you wish for.
It’s been a long road to get here, but the end result has definitely made it all worth it. We proudly opened our doors in May of 2012, and have been going strong ever since.
The Monkey’s Paw – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Monkey’s Paw is a neighborhood bar/restaurant; it is, on one hand, a gastropub with an advanced beverage program and farm-to-table menu, and on the other hand, a local tavern. Our menu changes seasonally, and we offer special dining events – brewer’s dinners, wine pairing dinners, dessert pairings/tastings, and daily specials – throughout the year.
We’ve become known for the quality of our whiskey selection, primarily single malt scotch whiskey, but bourbon, rye, Canadian, and Irish whiskeys are well-represented in the over 200 bottles we stock on our “Whisky Wall.” We also pride ourselves on a curated local craft beer list and a wine list from small boutique suppliers.
Having been in Lincoln Park for 5½ years, we have become a part of the fabric of the neighborhood, and that is one of the things that I am most proud of. Several of our customers are “regulars,” dining or drinking with us two to five times per week, bringing their families in for brunch on Sundays, showing off their “local spot” to friends or family visiting from out of town. It’s their home away from home. Many have likened our atmosphere to that of the “Cheers” bar where “everybody knows your name.”
One of our other distinguishing characteristics is our ability to offer an ‘adult’ alternative in the West DePaul neighborhood, where college bars, sports bars, and ‘Irish’ pubs are the rule. While we’re certainly family-friendly, offering high-chairs and kids menus, our mid- to late- evening vibe is cozy and chill, with muted televisions, ambient lighting and candlelight, and varied genres of music being played, never too loudly for conversation. We’ve become a great “date night” option for couples – those who are established, and even those meeting for the first time!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
While financial success is always nice, I prefer to measure success in relationships; in particular, relationships with our customers. The markers we look for are obvious, but not distinct. We know that we have been successful when we see that we have become part of people’s lives. We’ve become a go-to venue for baptism parties, engagement parties, graduation parties, holiday parties, fundraisers, wedding receptions (including my own), and even wakes.
We host an annual Christmas caroling event that has become highly anticipated, with a group as large as 30 singing around the neighborhood for two hours. The parents of the children in the schools of the neighborhood have their ‘Parents’ Nights’ here. Local condo associations have their monthly meetings here, we host a neighborhood book club, employees of local businesses habitually stop by after work and we even provided a photo shoot backdrop for a local band’s album art.
In short, we’ve become sort of a neighborhood nexus and, to me, that is success.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2524 N Southport Ave
- Website: www.themonkeyspawchicago.com
- Phone: 773.413.9314
- Email: info@themonkeyspawchicago.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonkeyspaw/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMonkeysPawChicago/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/monkeyspawchcgo
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-monkeys-paw-chicago
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