GENEVA – A restaurant whose owner has family ties to former Blackhawks player Chris Chelios will open soon in the building that houses the Fox Valley Ice Arena at 1996 S. Kirk Road in Geneva.
Chelios' Pub and Grill plans to open a restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Elliott's.
"It's going to have a sports bar atmosphere, with lots of TVs," said Jim Chelios, whose family opened Chelios' Pub and Grill in 2009 on Ogden Avenue in Aurora.
This will be the restaurant's second location. Chris Chelios is his nephew, although he does not have any ownership in the restaurant.
"He had his fame and we are all proud of him," Jim Chelios said. "We have our own thing going on here."
Chris Chelios owns a chili bar in Detroit, Mich.
Jim Chelios' sons, Chris and Pete Chelios, own the restaurant in Aurora and will also operate the one in Geneva. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, including such fare as portabella mushroom sandwiches, stir-fried chicken, pizza, ribs and burgers, as well as appetizers.
"We have a pretty good menu," Jim Chelios said. "We serve good food."
He hopes the restaurant will do well next to the Fox Valley Ice Arena, owned by the Kane County Forest Preserve District. The arena offers hockey and ice skating classes as well as public skating.
"We saw an opportunity, and decided to look into it," he said.
With the economy still sluggish, he knows that now might not be the best time to open a restaurant. But he is hopeful.
"We're doing alright," Jim Chelios said. "We're not complaining too much."
