Great Coast owner’s next restaurant project will be a 2 for 1 in Kenilworth

“It’s a mutual love fest here. We feel incredibly supported by our community and we love our community.”

With that in mind, Chick Evans and company think it’s time to spread the love.

The proprietor of Kenilworth’s lone restaurant, Great Coast Commons, has another big idea for the space just a couple doors down at 444 Green Bay Road, a building that he and his wife, Lauryn, recently purchased.

“Coming to Kenilworth, I’ve just been amazed how kind and supportive and friendly the people are,” said Evans, who moved to town in 2020, the same year he opened Great Coast Commons. “It’s just been eye opening to me to be in a place where there really is such kindness and graciousness and support.

“It’s what it’s all about for me, bringing people together and having an environment where people appreciate that and want that.”

The experience at Great Coast, 414 Green Bay Road, prompted Evans to start developing a new idea — actually, two new ideas.

In his new building, Evans will open both an Irish pub and a family pizzeria. Evans and his team are working out the logistics, such as how exactly the two ideas will cohabitate, but he has visions for both.

The Irish pub, Evans said, will be traditional, just like something you’d find on a stroll through an Irish village. He does not want it to be an Americanized version of an Irish pub, but instead, as informed by his recent trip to Ireland’s County Kerry, “like a place that’s been there for 100 years.”

“Like a small village pub, a concept that I think is very communal, brings people together,” he said. “It’s open to everybody, very simple and down to earth.”

In a way, Evans’ pizzeria idea already had a trial run during the summer of 2020, when his team set up a pop-up restaurant on Park Drive to cater to pandemic conditions.

He said that on a weekly basis someone will ask him or his Great Coast staffers to bring back the pizzeria. So he’s going to do it, aiming for the new spot to serve Neo-New York pizzas, a merger of Neapolitan and New York pizza styles that boasts a sturdy and crispy crust.

“It will be family-oriented with simple, familiar food at relatively lower price points,” Evans said, “while really serving as another community hub.”

The Irish pub will also serve food, Evans said; though, he is not yet sure how much it will share the pizzeria’s menu. The building, however, will have one kitchen, he said.

Evans and his team are in the architecture and planning phase for the new building and are submitting applications to the Village of Kenilworth. He said the goal is to open the concepts in the late summer of 2025.

Over the past few years, Evans has kept his eyes open for interesting business opportunities, but charmed by his time with Great Coast, especially with his home a few blocks away, it was Kenilworth or bust.

“I was casually looking at other opportunities and when I whittled it down, I wasn’t going to do another one unless it was right here in Kenilworth,” he said.

Evans said more information on plans for 444 Green Bay Road will come to light in early 2025.

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