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Bowling and bocce join food and drink in Oak Brook
Dale Schwartz, founder/chief executive officer of Pinstripes, checks out work in the kitchen of his new restaurant, which is scheduled to open Sept. 22 in Oak Brook. | Chuck Fieldman—Sun-Times Media
The details
Business hours: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Friday; 10 a,m.-12:30 a.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday
Website: www.pinstripes.com
Phone number: 630-575-8700
Updated: November 12, 2012 1:29AM
OAK BROOK — Dale Schwartz has been keeping an eye on Oak Brook for the past six years.
And diligence has paid off for the founder/chief executive officer of Pinstripes, a business that will bring its fourth location of bowling, bocce and bistro to Oak Brook with a Sept. 22 opening.
Italian-American food, a bar, outdoor patio, 16 bowling lanes, indoor/outdoor bocce courts, and private party rooms all are included in the 34,000-square-foot building located along Route 83 in the northwest parking area of Oakbrook Center.
Pinstripes initially opened in Northbrook in 2007 and since that time has added locations in South Barrington and Edina, Minn.
“This really is a perfect location for us when you look at where our other two locations are in the Chicago area,” Schwartz said. “There are two key qualities we look for in a location; a quality community that appreciates quality and a community with a lot of businesses because we do so many corporate events. We looked at some different spots, and Oakbrook Center was always most attractive.”
Pinstripes has a ground lease from Sears, which owns the property on which the new business is being constructed.
“We like to build free-standing operations because it allows us to do more,” Schwartz said. “We have a lot of different areas with different things going on, and food finds its way everywhere.”
The concept for Pinstripes is “sophisticated fun,” said Schwartz.
The Oak Brook location will employee about 120 people.
“We’re not a one-dimensional restaurant,” he said. “We do everything from mom and tots in the morning to hosting a lot of club and group meetings to weddings, corporate events and bar mitzvahs. We also have live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights
“We want people to come in and have fun. We have a couple of TVs with the volume down, but we encourage people to do things while they’re here, whether it’s bowling, bocce or having fun with friends and family.”
