NORTH CENTER — A new North Center bar will be the first of its kind in the area, allowing customers to enjoy a pint or two with friends while their dogs play and socialize with other neighborhood pups.
Couple Morgan LaPorte and Scott Deady are still working through the liquor license process, but once The B-A-R opens at 2457 W. Montrose Ave. it’ll serve as an indoor dog park where customers and their dogs can hang out year-round, they said.
The business’s name is a play on dog owners spelling out the word “walk” to keep their pets from being too excited when they recognize the word, the couple said.
The owners signed a lease to take over the former location of Plants Inc. in January and are working toward renovating the interior and navigating the city’s licensing process, they said.
The two, who are residents of the area, hope to open the business by the end of the year at the earliest.
“When we initially started having conversations in February with people, they’d ask, ‘What is it?’ Well, you’ve been to a dog park, right? OK, now imagine you have a drink in your hand. That’s it,” Deady said.
The couple got the idea for the business after going to a similar one in Little Rock, Arkansas, while visiting family in early 2020 pre-pandemic, LaPorte said.
During that trip, LaPorte’s father took them to Bark Bar, Arkansas’ first off-leash dog park and restaurant, she said.
The Bark Bar is an industrial-style venue where someone can grab a beer at the concession-style stand, have a seat and work on their computer while their dog runs around and plays, Deady said.
“You had to have a membership to get your dogs in there. And we were like, ‘This is awesome. Why doesn’t something like this exist in Chicago?’” LaPorte said.
While there are dog-friendly bars and breweries in Chicago, having what’s essentially an indoor dog park with an attached bar hasn’t been done yet, the couple said.
The couple continued workshopping the idea, signing the lease in January. By July, they launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised $30,360 from 103 people toward the opening of the business.
“We needed an industrial space, and that was not available through COVID. Those places were staying in business and staying occupied. So it took us about two years to find the location on Montrose,” Deady said. “And it feels like it was built out for us.”
When the property was the home of Plants Inc., the large plant nursery in the rear required a lot of natural light in a big open space with drains for irrigation spillover, Deady said.
The basic layout of the property will remain, but it will be outfitted into more of an indoor dog park with seating and a bar for human customers. The drains will allow for the venue to be sanitized regularly, Deady said.
While the Arkansas bar the couple visited allows dogs to run around and play, Chicago’s rules require dogs in a bar to be on a leash the entire time they’re on premises, the couple said.
Additionally, once The B-A-R is open, dog owners will need to apply for a membership that ranges from a $25 day pass to a $50 month pass. Dog owners will also need to show proof of vaccination for the pups. People dropping by The B-A-R for beer without a dog don’t have to apply for membership.
“We’re moving forward as a dog-friendly bar and aligning ourselves with rescue centers and adoption agencies, because we really do want to give back to the community of people who take care of and rescue dogs,” LaPorte said.
The couple have a soft spot for rescues as they adopted their two dogs, Griswold and Bueller, from rescue centers. They are now partnered with Wright-Way Rescue, a local nonprofit.
“I initially adopted Griswold as a puppy. I’m a big Christmas fan and named him after the Griswolds in ‘Christmas Vacation.’ And when COVID hit we had an opportunity to foster another dog,” Deady said.
When the couple got a new foster puppy, they decided to adopt him and named him after the lead character in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” LaPorte said.
“I worked at a coffee shop at Lake Forest College, and John Hughes would come in every morning,” LaPorte said. “I used to make his cappuccinos for him. So now we have Bueller and Griswold.”
The next step for the couple in the licensing process is to host a community meeting in the next few months, with city officials explaining their business concept and asking for neighbors to support their liquor license application, they said.
“Reach out to us. We want to answer your questions. We want to understand every concern that the neighbors might have so that we can address those things properly,” Deady said. “Honestly, word of mouth is just the most powerful thing we can ask from anybody at this point.”
For more information on the couple and their plans toward Chicago’s first dog bar, visit chicagodogbar.com.
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