New name, new owner for Naperville's BlackFinn
The long-controversial BlackFinn American Saloon is no more in downtown Naperville.
Naperville businessman and restaurateur Jim Bergeron, who also owns Jimmy's Grill, confirmed he officially took over the restaurant at 16 W. Jefferson Ave. on May 28 and renamed it the Wise Boxer Pour House.
A new temporary sign was installed over the old BlackFinn logo and new menus were posted in the windows over the weekend. Bergeron on Monday declined to comment on his new establishment, saying his marketing team had not completed the plan to roll out the new establishment.
“When we're all done, I'll be singing it from the rooftops and telling everyone all about it,” he said. “But right now, I'm not commenting.”
Bergeron already owns the site and previously has run a pizza restaurant and an Italian restaurant, Tessa's, in that location. When applying for his liquor license for the Pour House, he told the city council he intends to make better use of the facility's two kitchens and focus more on food than alcohol sales to restore the location's reputation.
Several violent incidents at BlackFinn had tarnished that establishment's reputation.