Brothers unite to open brick oven pizzeria in Plainfield

PLAINFIELD – After decades working for others, brothers Corey and Dave Svoboda are taking years of experience in the restaurant, bar and beverage industries and bringing their own vision to life.

In mid- to late March, the Svobodas will open Freedom Brothers Pizzeria & Alehouse in Plainfield.

Svoboda means freedom in Slavic languages. And together, the brothers will have creative freedom as they get back to doing what their family does best.

Their ancestors owned and operated Svoboda’s Nickelodeon Tavern in Chicago Heights for 80 years. It closed in 1987.

“This is in our blood,” Dave said.

Corey has worked for various establishments in Chicago, and Dave spent the past 12 years working for the Wirtz family and Breakthru Beverage Group. But it was time for a change.

“Corey talked me into it,” Dave said of their plan to open a brick oven pizzeria. “I was doing a 9-to-5 for 12 years. But this is an opportunity to work together and create something new.”

The brothers have worked together before, but for other people.

“It’s been over a year in talks,” said Corey, who moved to nearby Naperville seven months ago. “I was negotiating the lease for the pizzeria. I wanted to get out of the city.”

Corey worked for a pizzeria in Phoenix, where he said he fell in love with wood-fired, brick oven pizza.

“We have a love affair with pizza,” Corey said.

So the Svobodas bought a 12,000-pound brick oven and shipped it from Texas to 11914 S. Route 59 in Plainfield, at the southwest corner of Route 59 and 119th Street. They’re bringing in a master of brick oven pizza to tweak their menu, which is a rough draft at this point.

“We’re not chefs, so we rely on the pros,” Dave said.

The brothers will stock the mammoth oven with oak logs, which “burn hot and last long.” The pizza cook time will be between 90 seconds at 900 degrees and four minutes at 700 degrees.

“We won’t know exactly until we get this oven down. It’ll take a little bit of trial-and-error,” Corey said.

The brothers said they’re meeting a niche in the restaurant industry of craft beer, craft cocktails and farm-to-table organic ingredients. Their menu will have some gluten-free pizzas.

They will get some of their produce from nearby Wagner Farms in Naperville.

“We’re going to try to stay as local as we can – in food and in spirits,” said Dave, who also lives in Naperville.

“Plainfield is up-and-coming,” Dave said of the choice to open up in the village. “There are a lot of transplants from Chicago who may be looking for something different than a pizza chain.”

The theme of Freedom Brothers, though, is what they hope will really make it stand out among the competition. Aside from a rustic look with an open ceiling, the place will be filled with rock ’n’ roll.

“We love rock ’n’ roll and entertaining,” Dave said.

But they made it clear it’s not a sports bar. There will be 13 TVs where diners can watch rock legends such as AC/DC perform at concerts. They’ll also stream live festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza.

There will be a “King’s Room,” with a king’s throne and a table that can fit up to 15 people. People celebrating birthdays will take the throne for their meal.

Freedom Brothers will feature about 25 beers on tap, with as many as they can get from local breweries. Werk Force Brewing Co. of Plainfield has agreed to supply some of the beer. The brothers are in talks with other breweries, too.

“It’s great to see local small businesses working together,” village of Plainfield Economic Development Specialist Jake Melrose said.

For information on Freedom Brothers and for updates, visit freedombrotherspizza.com or like the business on Facebook at Freedom Brothers Pizzeria & Alehouse.