Dog's Paw Brewing open in Elgin
What was supposed to be a small gathering for family and friends turned into such a large event that Dog's Paw Brewing in downtown Elgin ended up opening to the public earlier than anticipated.
"Word got out and people started showing up, and all of a sudden we got slammed," owner Iran Garcia of Elgin said of how Wednesday night played out.
His wife Charlotte Hornbeak Garcia said about 50 people were expected, but at least 200 showed up.
On Thursday, the bar and restaurant at 74 S. Grove Ave. was open to the public. Business was slow in the morning, but had picked up by 4 p.m., with a good crowd by dinnertime, she said.
The eatery will be open Friday, but will be closed this Saturday and Sunday so the team can rest and plan for the week ahead, she said. It will reopen Monday with regular, 7-day-a-week business hours.
Dog's Paw Brewing has a menu of "gourmet burgers" and "gourmet hot dogs," plus sandwiches, soups and salads accompanied by a variety of craft beers, Iran Garcia said.
"We want to be the Mecca for craft beers in the suburbs," he said. "We're going to carry a lot of craft beer that a lot of places don't carry, or don't want to carry. ... The small breweries that are brewing and need a chance to put their beers next to the big guys."
Garcia said he and his staff of eight are working on ironing out the kinks of opening a new eatery, his first such business venture.
"We're taking it one day at a time," he said, adding he expects to have a grand opening in couple of weeks or so.
Garcia has been working on the enterprise for about a year and a half, after he and former partner Tyrrell Tomlin signed a lease for the space and parted ways earlier this year.
Feedback from customers on the first night was good, Garcia said. "We're here, and now it's just a matter of perfecting our food, perfecting our concept and make sure our employees are trained. We want to make sure we're there for a long period of time."
Garcia said he and his brother built and installed the vast majority of the interior, including the bar, tiles, light fixtures and more. The goal was to create an "urban vibe" akin to eateries in Chicago, he said.
"People will appreciate the effort. People are going to love the place the way I remodeled it," he said. "They're going to see all the hard work and sweat."