'More moderate restaurant for families': Schaumburg Public House opens by convention center
The high-end Sam & Harry's steakhouse, which closed at Schaumburg's Renaissance Hotel adjoining the convention center at the start of the pandemic, is transitioning to the Midwest-inspired Schaumburg Public House restaurant.
Though already open under its new concept, the restaurant is awaiting the arrival of new furniture and signs before its official ribbon-cutting within the next several weeks.
Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly said Sam & Harry's was a welcome addition to the village-owned Renaissance Hotel when both opened in 2006. But the upscale restaurant was the only option inside the hotel.
"I think it's a great change," Dailly said. "What the hotel and convention center lacked was more moderate restaurant for families. I look at this as a big, big plus."
The restaurant will be operated by the same Marriott staff that runs the hotel and convention center. In addition to its look and menu, another change will be that Schaumburg Public House won't be a concept owned by another entity.
The new restaurant's mission statement reads: "Built on the Prairielands East of the Fox River once cultivated by courageous newcomers, this restaurant draws on Schaumburg's history of cultivating its rich farmlands and long mid-western heritage. Evoking the personality and strong sense of culture from Schaumburg's native farming families, the modern urban brasserie will be strikingly approachable, known for its genuine hospitality, ambience and connection to the locals."
The description also indicates that the restaurant will provide a faster-paced and less formal dining experience than Sam & Harry's. The menu includes "shareables," bar snacks, more traditional dinner choices, craft cocktails and beer.
Dailly said Schaumburg Public House should be at home in the entertainment district coming to the area around the Renaissance, which will include an Andretti Indoor Karting & Games facility with a restaurant immediately to the west.
The new restaurant is aimed to appeal as much to local residents as to hotel guests, he said.