About a year and a half after an upscale gay bar and restaurant opened in Oak Park, it’s under new ownership.
Velvet Rope, at 728 Lake, was recently bought by Schaumburg resident Frank Elliott, a regular since Velvet Rope opened in the spring of 2008. The business wasn’t actually for sale, but the 23-year-old entrepreneur says he made an offer to former owner Carol Bertacchi that she couldn’t turn down.
“I really like Oak Park,” says Elliott. “It has a Chicago-type lifestyle but still has that suburban feel to it.” Before purchasing the restaurant, Elliott was managing a salon and day spa in Bloomingdale, to which he’d added a café.
He says he’s long had aspirations to open a gay-friendly lounge, and honed in on Oak Park for its large gay community.
“Velvet Rope has a good name and reputation already, and I wanted to keep that and continue growing it,” said Elliott, who is keeping the restaurant’s chef but plans on revising the menu and hiring new servers.
Elliott is adding a Sunday brunch, which he says will include champagne mimosas and drag performances.
-Marty Stempniak