What Dunton House is becoming: Chicago's Bird's Nest opening first branch in Arlington Heights
From liver and onions to chicken wings: Arlington Heights' shuttered Dunton House diner is being transformed into the first suburban outpost of Bird's Nest, a popular Lincoln Park sports bar known for its award-winning barbecued and buffaloed fowl.
Interior renovation work is underway at 11 W. Davis St., where the venerable mom-and-pop restaurant has been closed for more than a year.
Though Bird's Nest ownership didn't respond to requests for comment, village officials confirmed they have a building permit for commercial alterations and minor facade work. A carpenter working on site also displayed blueprints for Bird's Nest.
Michael Mertes, the village's business development manager, fielded calls from business owners interested in the Dunton House location when it still wasn't clear whether its March 2022 closure was temporary or permanent. That included interest from the Bird's Nest owner, who has since secured a lease for the site, Mertes said.
“Places like Dunton House and the racetrack — (there's) a lot of nostalgia there, and nostalgia's a powerful thing, and sometimes it's hard to see that go,” Mertes said. “But things change. Cities and towns are dynamic places. And when you've got 3,000 businesses in your community, they don't all stay. Some last longer than others. Some have a more lasting presence.
“But the good news is that we've got somebody coming into that space and it's not some sort of permanent vacancy that we're looking down the road five to 10 years saying, ‘Why can't we get anybody to lease this space?'”
“It just shows the demand we have in our downtown that people were eager to jump in when an opportunity came up and try to open up a business here in town,” he added.
Bird's Nest opened at 2500 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago in 1995, featuring sports on TV, booze and pub grub — much like other corner watering holes. But it was the chicken wings that stood out on the menu and have kept people coming back.
Available in baskets of 10, 20 or 30, the wings are dowsed in various sauces of your choosing: the original Bird's Nest hot sauce, hot barbecue, barbecue, teriyaki, hot teriyaki and honey barbecue. Celery, blue cheese and ranch dressing come on the side.
Upgrades to the building across from the Arlington Heights Metra station include a bar, indoor and outdoor dining, and new doors and windows, according to Charles Witherington-Perkins, the village's director of planning and community development.
Village officials did not know the projected opening date.
Dunton House's owners posted on the front door early last year stating the restaurant was closed for remodeling. A village building inspector posted a stop work order on March 11, 2022, for not having a building permit.
About two months later, the village board took a perfunctory vote to decrease the number of available liquor licenses in town when Dunton House didn't renew its license for 2022-2023.
It was the fifth ownership group in the history of the Arlington Heights institution, which opened in 1969.