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The River North bar opened with huge fanfare during the weekend of the James Beard Awards in April 2017 but closed six months later. Even more abrupt was the shutter of Otto Mezza, an Italian-themed cocktail bar that Hickey developed in concert with beverage director Brandon Philips. The Duck Inn had been operating under the Rockit umbrella. Besides Rockit’s shutter for renovations, in October, chef Kevin Hickey left the company as partner and took his Bridgeport restaurant, The Duck Inn, with him. “Now we’re giving the people what they want and deserve.”īrad Young Rockit Ranch Productions ĭec and Young maintained that the Rockit brand remained a strong one and that they’re strong financially. “We went the wrong direction last time,” Young said of the 2015 remodel.
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They remodeled the place and reopened in May 2015 in time for its 10th anniversary. The shutter raised eyebrows because it was the second time management had closed the club in three years. Rockit Bar & Grill has sat closed for renovations since January but will reopen on August 3. “People would be foolish not to take them.” “There are lots of opportunities there in the marketplace,” Young added. In the end, the two had different visions for their personal futures and separation was “the best course of action.” He called it a difficult decision to sell his stakes in Sunda, the Underground, and the Wrigleyville burger bar. Young said the plan to split only developed over the last month.
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“It wasn’t fair to make the partners deal with that.” “I wanted to bring the other passions in my life into the fold,” Dec said.
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He has a movie production company and designs on opening restaurants across the country. Dec and Young described the decision as a business one, with Dec adding that he wanted more time to concentrate on his passions. He’s has been splitting his time between Chicago and Nashville where he opened a Sunda three months ago. Co-founder Brad Young will keep Rockit Bar & Grill with Dec buying Young’s stake in Sunda’s River North and Nashville restaurants, the Underground nightclub, and Rockit Burger Bar in Wrigleyville.ĭec also keeps the management company, as he remains CEO of Rockit Ranch Productions. Billy Dec will retain most of Rockit’s assets except the River North barstaurant that the company took its name. Fourteen years after creating one of Chicago’s biggest nightlife empires, Rockit Ranch Productions’ co-founders are splitting the company and amicably going their separate ways.