Owners of 668 Vernon hope 2 restaurants are better than 1

What’ll it be: a bagel with schmear and lox, or a grain bowl with chicken? Or, better yet, why choose when you can have the lot?

Soon, both options — the deli classics and healthy grab-and-gos — will be available at 668 Vernon Ave. in Glencoe. 

Aiming for a March opening date, the space is set to house two separate restaurants, Mensch’s Deli and Picnic, which already have bustling locations in Evanston.

“It’s great to be able to have two concepts that are distinct, but I think in Evanston’s case and certainly in Glencoe’s case, I hope, are complementary and will serve the neighborhood well and provide something that I don’t think is really there in downtown Glencoe right now,” said Jack DeMar, owner of Picnic and co-owner of Mensch’s.

The restaurants will utilize the north and south end entrances of the building so that it feels as though the storefront is truly two separate spaces with distinct brands and styles. 

According to DeMar, who is also a North Shore native, Picnic’s space will be “tranquil and serene” with a “minimalist aesthetic” with “chef-driven, flavor-packed bowls.” There will be plenty of salad options and grain bowls on offer with roasted veggies and lean proteins like chicken breast, salmon and tofu.

Picnic’s offerings, DeMar said, are ideal for a quick lunch or grab-and-go family dinner, which has formed a large part of the brand’s business in Evanston as an affordable, tasty and healthful family dinner option.

As for the Mensch’s space, DeMar describes the energy as more nostalgic and timeless, perhaps with “funky wallpaper and old mugs and family photos on the wall.” Patrons can order in or to go at the counter with a choice of deli sandwiches, bagels and lox, matzo ball soup and deli cold case classics like potato salad and coleslaw. 

The deli connects to a hidden back patio with turf and overhead lighting where people can enjoy their food when the weather is nice. 

The space 668 Vernon Ave itself has had its fair over the past few years, with two prior eatery concepts shutting their doors, but Pete Kadens, Chicagoland philanthropist and entrepreneur who handles the building’s lease, is determined to make it work.

“This is a really important piece of real estate in downtown Glencoe [and] one of the oldest buildings on the North Shore of Chicago,” Kadens said of the 1927 edifice. “It’s a beautiful building now — I’ve put millions of dollars into it. And it’s right smack-dab in the center of town. We can’t have that be a dark spot. It’s gotta be lit up, and it’s gotta be vibrant, and there’s gotta be restaurants or venues in there that are attractive to the community. So, I just felt it’s my obligation, if nothing else, or my moral imperative to figure this out.”

In September 2021, the building became home to a stylish yet casual eatery, Poppy’s Social, but the financial model (which reportedly paid employees “very well” and gave them equity in the business) failed, as The Record North Shore previously reported. The eatery shut its doors less than a year after opening, in June 2022. 

By summer of 2023, Kadens and team announced the locale would house the city of Chicago favorite Honey Butter Fried Chicken, which opened for business in January 2024. By October of the same year, after 10 months, the location shut its doors as well. 

Poppy’s Social had performed better than Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Kadens told The Record North Shore, which he found surprising given the latter eatery’s popularity in the city of Chicago; however, Kadens realized, it wasn’t a product market fit in Glencoe, where he said people enjoy healthy, organic foods as well as a good deli.

But Kadens, an Ohio native who has lived in Chicagoland for two decades (the past eight of which he’s spent in Glencoe, where he’s put down roots), is determined and not at all ready to throw in the towel.

“Well, I shouldn’t say this, but I never got into the restaurant business to make money,” Kadens said. “I made my money in other industries. This is my love — love of my kids and my family, wanting them to be engaged in something in the community, and wanting the community to have another place here [in Glencoe] to call home, you know, when they’re not home [where they can] watch a game or get a good sandwich.”

He continued, “I just love walking into my restaurant and knowing that we’re doing something good for the community and that people like us. So yeah, it’s a labor of love. It’s nothing more than that.”

Kadens is sticking to his values, too, and hopes to get people through the door without driving up prices by opening a high-end restaurant and serving up a lot of alcohol. 

“I’m 17 years sober from alcohol,” he said. “I don’t really want to own and control something that’s sort of pouring lots of drinks. I have no problem with it. It’s just not a business I want to own, and I really wanted something that was family friendly, which is not a super high end, expensive restaurant.”

One important factor that Kadens said he has taken into consideration for these Spring 2025 openings is population density, which can pose a challenge in a town like Glencoe that has a relatively low population density at approximately 2,341 people per square mile. 

To drive up volume as he strives to make the new economic model work this go-around, he’s decided to split the space in two with Mensch’s and Picnic. 

Kadens is hopeful he’s found not one but two product market fits wrapped up in one partnership with DeMar and fellow Mensch’s co-owners Eric Kogan and Kiki Eliopoulos. 

When they open in 2025, DeMar said he anticipates Mensch’s will begin with a more scaled back menu and grow it (adding classics like chopped liver or sweet and sour cabbage soup) based on community feedback.

“We want to know early on from the members of the community who are patrons at our restaurants if something doesn’t feel right or if something isn’t making them happy,” Kadens said, echoing DeMar’s sentiments toward the importance of patron feedback. “… We just want to create an incredible experience, both dining and ambiance in the restaurant for our patrons, and we want to know what they’re thinking and feeling, so tell us early and often, and that’ll help us make sure we are successful here and that we can stay here for many years to come.”

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