Riddles Comedy Club owner brings love of laughs to Berwyn

A sign in Ken Stevens’ new comedy club in Berwyn reads, “Comedy can change the world.” Now that Riddles is open, business leaders and Stevens himself are hoping that it can change the Depot District.

Stevens decided at age 16 that he wanted to run his own business by the time he was 30. In his mid-20s, he realized that business should be a comedy club.

Before opening his first comedy club in 1990 in Orland Park, Stevens spent 16 years in the food and beverage industry, working his way up from a bus boy. While employed with a Chicago chain hotel, he got a promotion to run its comedy club.

“I took notes from them. I studied the comics and who their agents were,” Stevens said. “I didn’t just open it on a whim. I paid attention to how they operated and how the room was run.”

After another successful club opening later in Alsip, Stevens was approached by members of the Berwyn Development Corporation last year. With a combination of tax-increment financing district dollars and support from both the mayor’s office and the BDC, he said he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to expand.

“What a difference when the town is working with you, that they recruit you,” Stevens said. “In any kind of business, you usually do all the legwork. So it was really nice to have the town behind you.”

Riddles celebrated its grand opening Nov. 2 with a performance by Jimmie J.J. Walker, made famous by the TV show “Good Times.” While the club already has a month’s worth of shows lined up, Stevens is still “fine-tuning” decor at the bar, including adding neon lights, Rat Pack motif and video games.

Stevens said he’s always been a fan of comedy and often imagined becoming Johnny Carson as a kid. Working in comedy as an adult, and even occasionally taking the stage to perform standup, have brought him close to fulfilling that dream.

“The enjoyment I get is just because I Iike all the comics,” Stevens said. “I book my own room, so I pick and choose who I want. That’s one of the best parts.”

Although owning a comedy club has its share of hassles — hecklers, bad performances and the hazards that come with owning any place that serves alcohol — Stevens said he loves his job.

“I could be stressed out all week long, but I look forward to my working weekend because you know no matter what, the show goes on,” he said. “I can just sit back and get some laughs.”