Upscale wine bar with slot machines opening in Huntley
Huntley's only upscale wine bar with slot machines is set to have a grand opening celebration Friday.
Millie's Wine & Gaming had a soft opening earlier this month. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at noon Friday at 13310 Village Green Drive, in the Jewel Plaza strip mall off Route 47 near Sun City active adult community.
It's a “boutique vineyard” wine bar with five video gambling terminals in a 1,600-square-foot space.
“It's a fairly extensive wine list,” said Mike McGuire, a Crystal Lake businessman and real estate broker who is one of the primary owners. “We have more wine than beer. We just tried to create a warm, relaxing, nice environment, which is an alternative to most other bars. It's all about ambience and atmosphere, creating a warm environment for our patrons.”
Wine bars, though not all that common, are growing in popularity. Nearby, Village Vintner Winery & Brewery in Algonquin offers a slightly different concept producing wine and craft beers on-site, while Geneva has Gibby's Wine Den.
McGuire said an upscale wine bar on its own might not have worked.
“We are a combination restaurant, wine bar, and gaming cafe,” he said. “We feel that it's the combination of all of those things, which hopefully will lead to our success.”
He added, the bar also offers a more extensive menu than other gambling cafes.
It serves freshly baked flatbreads and desserts, an assortment of fine cheeses and light foods, and will host wine and cheese tastings. Specialty coffees and teas, soft drinks, a variety of juices, and select beers also are available.
McGuire is partnering with expert restaurateurs who have joint ownership, and wine distributors who have relationships with smaller vineyards in France, Italy, Argentina and New Zealand.
Sun City's senior crowd is a target audience, which is why the bar is named Millie's after his mother — a popular name during the 1930s through 1950s.
McGuire earlier said he has hopes to build a second wine bar in Huntley on the north side of town if this one takes off.
Hosted by the Huntley Area Chamber of Commerce, Friday's opening celebration includes complimentary appetizers, menu samplings and soft drinks.
WLS 94.7-FM will host a live broadcast with Dick Biondi from 1 to 3 p.m. Guests can enter to win tickets to see Neil Diamond at the United Center and other prizes. Millie's will hold a drawing for guests to win $50 of free slot play. For more information, visit huntleychamber.org.