What it took to Launch Publican Tavern at O’Hare Airport
It took the seasoned pros at One Off Hospitality Group almost three years to get Publican Tavern, the new offshoot of their beloved West Loop meatery, off the ground at O’Hare International Airport. The project, now open in Terminal 3, presented challenges that wouldn’t even cross the minds of most restaurateurs.
10 August 2016
| Lacey Glave
|
via
Chicago Magazine
It took the seasoned pros at One Off Hospitality Group almost three years to get Publican Tavern, the new offshoot of their beloved West Loop meatery, off the ground at O’Hare International Airport.
The project, now open in Terminal 3, presented challenges that wouldn’t even cross the minds of most restaurateurs. Like, say, how to improve your cooks’ knife skills when their utensils have to be chained to the counter as a security precaution.
Or having to go through a TSA checkpoint every time you come to work. One Off was first approached about opening a spot inside O’Hare by the catering contractor HMSHost in 2011 as part of a push to bring more local flavor to the airport.
But the project sat in limbo—HMSHost kept pushing the launch date back—until about six months ago. That’s when work on Publican Tavern, which will occupy a former Wolfgang Puck space, began in earnest.
The most fraught questions for the kitchen team were how to translate the hallmarks of the original restaurant—the iconic roast chicken, the high-quality booze, the impeccable sourcing of ingredients—to a mass-market format and, even trickier, how to work within the constraints of airport security.
The project, now open in Terminal 3, presented challenges that wouldn’t even cross the minds of most restaurateurs. Like, say, how to improve your cooks’ knife skills when their utensils have to be chained to the counter as a security precaution.
Or having to go through a TSA checkpoint every time you come to work. One Off was first approached about opening a spot inside O’Hare by the catering contractor HMSHost in 2011 as part of a push to bring more local flavor to the airport.
But the project sat in limbo—HMSHost kept pushing the launch date back—until about six months ago. That’s when work on Publican Tavern, which will occupy a former Wolfgang Puck space, began in earnest.
The most fraught questions for the kitchen team were how to translate the hallmarks of the original restaurant—the iconic roast chicken, the high-quality booze, the impeccable sourcing of ingredients—to a mass-market format and, even trickier, how to work within the constraints of airport security.
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