Sidetrack and Hunters: 25 years of beer and cheer

Sidetrack and Hunters: 25 years of beer and cheer
by Ross Forman
Copyright by Windy City Times
2007-07-11



The nightspots Sidetrack and Hunters ( located in Chicago and Elk Grove Village, respectively ) are celebrating 25th anniversaries this year. With that in mind, Ross Forman profiles each of these institutions.


Sidetrack

Rocco Dinverno is, no doubt, smiling down on Sidetrack.

It was, you see, his idea for the Halsted Street bar, located at 3349 N. Halsted—ground zero for the club-hopping LGBT community in Boystown.

Dinverno envisioned a gay bar showing music videos a la the Midnight Sun, a gay bar in San Francisco. This was, remember, the late 1970s—before MTV.

Dinverno and Jose “Pepe” Peña went to San Francisco to check out the Midnight Sun. Peña was sold on the concept—and spent about two years developing a video library for the bar. Peña, in the 1970s, was a gay bartender at a gay bar in Chicago, and was a local celebrity of sorts.

Sidetrack officially opened on April 22, 1982, and celebrated its 25th anniversary in June, 2007.

Dinverno passed away a few months after Sidetrack opened.

“We were successful from the very beginning,” said Art Johnston, one of Sidetrack’s owners and Peña’s partner of 34 years. “We always thought the bar would do well and last a long time. We just had no idea it would be as successful as it’s been. We feel incredibly fortunate [ and ] a little surprised, too. Actually, we’re constantly surprised by the bar. We never thought it would be this successful.

“It is beyond any dream or vision we ever had for the bar.”

Sidetrack started with 800 square feet and with six employees. Today, it sits on more than 11,000 square feet, and has with 65 employees.

Johnston, Peña and Chuck Hyde are Sidetrack’s co-owners.

“Halsted [ Street ] was nothing like it is today,” said Johnston, 63. “When we opened, many would have called it a dangerous neighborhood. Most people would not walk by themselves, nor should they. The first two years we were here, there was a constant issue between us and the gangs.”

And there wasn’t even a Sidetrack sign for the first five years. “Frankly, it just wasn’t a priority,” said Johnston, who, in the days before the bar opened, took a sheet of plywood, nailed it to the front of the bar and spray-painted the word SOON ( opening ) on it. “That was the only publicity we had.”

Still, Johnston said, “We were busy from the first day we opened.”

So much, in fact, that the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times wanted to write about Sidetrack. But Johnston wasn’t interested in their publicity.

“I remember at least three times during our first five years that we had reporters come from the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, wanting to write stories about this great, hip, underground bar. But I always refused, because I didn’t want us to become a sideshow for straight tourists,” he said. “If the bar had gotten into the Sun-Times or Tribune back in the day, I was convinced we’d become a sight-seeing spot for straight people who wanted to see what the gays are doing, and I didn’t want that.”

“Plus, we felt our community would find the bar, that I didn’t need to advertise in predominantly straight publications.”

Gay bars in the 1980s had a very short life-span—typically two to four years, Johnston said.

And many said Sidetrack’s video concept wouldn’t last, and that it was simply a fad.

Johnston and company stuck to their vision.

“I don’t think a lot of people grasped the idea that adding video to music was not just a short-term novelty,” he said.

Sidetrack has long been one of the biggest supporters of the LGBT community. It sponsors teams in almost every local sport, and usually in multiple divisions. And, the bar does not offer even one product—beer or liquor—that does not also donate to the community.

Case in point: Rolling Rock beer is no longer available at Sidetrack because the beer, or its distributors, said they that did not have the funds to donate to the LGBT community.

Conversely, Johnston added, if a company is supportive of the LGBT community and asks Sidetrack to carry a new product, “we look much more favorably upon them.”

Sidetrack has raised more than $1 million in sponsorship for the LGBT community, with one final, grand present coming in July, when its final 25th anniversary celebration will take place.

In late August or early September, Sidetrack will host 25 For 25, where 25 different companies in the hospitality world each will present a check for $2,500 to 25 LGBT-related organizations.

Incidentally, Sidetrack got its name from Dinverno, and Johnston admits he didn’t initially like the name. “That’s one thing I was wrong about; the name has stuck and done well,” he said.

Johnston said the bar’s current size is about as big as it will get.

“We’re pretty close to where we always thought the size of the bar would get,” he said. “We have one renovation upcoming, and that will include adding a little more [ public ] space. I don’t sense that there are a lot more additions to come [ after that ] , but I could be wrong.”

Sidetrack is the city’s largest LGBT bar that does not have a dance floor. The bar’s demographics are wide-ranging and ever-expanding, especially to women and people from other parts of the city, Johnston said.

“I hope we can make everyone in our community feel comfortable at Sidetrack,” he said.

The comfort extends to the nightspot’s workers. The average length of employment at Sidetrack is 10 years, and the bar offers health insurance for full-time employees.

See www.sidetrackchicago.com .



Hunters

Mark Hunter was an award-winning ballroom dancer who, in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, frequented the local gay bars, such as Charleys Angelz in Des Plaines and The Bistro in Chicago. “I’ve always enjoyed the gay bars and one day I just decided that that’s what I wanted to do,” he said.

And so was born Hunters, the Elk Grove-based bar Hunter owns that, in October, will celebrate its 25th anniversary.

“It’s been one fabulous time … for 25 years. I can’t remember a time that was bad. It’s been wonderful,” said Hunter, who originally is from suburban Washington, D.C., and now makes his home in Park Ridge. “We were successful from the minute we opened, and continue to be very successful.

“One thing I’ve heard a lot over the years is: ‘Hunters was the first gay bar I ever went to.’ I really enjoy hearing that and hope to continue hearing that in the future. I want to continue to make memories for people, especially new [ customers ] .”

Others have often told Hunter that they met their first boyfriend at Hunters. Or that they were stranded at O’Hare International Airport, took a taxi to Hunters and had a great time.”

Hunters is a high-energy video dance bar on Higgins Road, with 5,000 square feet inside and almost 2,000 more square feet outside on the patio. About 1,500 patrons visit each week.

Hunters’ busiest day annually is Super Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. More than 1,000 attend the annual tradition.

“We want to continue to serve the community, as best we can, for 25 more years,” Hunter said. “Of course, being in the suburbs can be a [ problem ] for some because it seems everyone views the [ Lakeview ] area as ‘the hot place’ to be because you can go from bar to bar to bar.”

Still, Hunters regularly attracts its share of city customers, he said—especially with its regular specials and monthly fund-raisers.

Even though only about 10 percent of the patrons are female, Hunter first opened the bar with a female—his wife, Marian. The two met dancing, and she knew that he had dated men. Marian passed away in 1995.

Hunter has now been dating Patrick Volkert for about a year.

“It is a very unique situation,” Hunter said. “Marian was an exceptional, wonderful person. She had a lot of great business sense.”

The two built Hunters at the former location of BJ’s Rodeo Bar, which featured an electronic bull a la Urban Cowboy. The location, at 1932 E. Higgins, also previously was a Beef & Barrel Restaurant, where customers ate peanuts and threw the shells on the floor.

“We were very familiar with the suburbs, and just felt the suburbs would be a great location for a gay bar,” Hunter said. “We just happened to come across [ the building ] one day, and it just happened to be in an area where we were looking: the northwest suburbs.”

Hunter’s has since grown in size and look. Plus, the music has, naturally, changed with the times.

“When we first opened, we [ sold ] draft beers for 25 cents on Wednesdays. That was a huge hit for many, many, many years,” Hunter said. “I loved the ‘80s…the music, the people, the looks, everything. People loved to dance, drink and have a good time…just like they do 25 years later. I have a lot of fond memories from the 1980s.”

Hunters opened a Palm Springs location nine years ago, and one in San Jose, Calif., in June. Hunter confirmed he will expand Hunters’ brand, hopefully through franchising, ideally adding one new location annually.

A Fort Lauderdale location is likely, he said.

But Chicagoland is the original, the mainstay. Peter Landorf is the local manager, and has spent 24 years working at Hunters, going initially from a waiter to manager. “He’s an amazing man who’s done a wonderful job with the bar. I cannot say enough good things about Peter. He’s dedicated, smart, fun to be with, loyal,” Hunter said.

There are about 20 Hunters’ employees, including doorman Juan, who has been with the nightspot for about a decade.

“We have an absolutely wonderful staff,” Hunter said.

See www.huntersnightclubs.com .