“Hey, Hey!’’ The Ricketts family received the green light to name a bar outside of Wrigley Field the “Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern.”
The Illinois Liquor Control Commission approved the plan Thursday after hearing where the plan was blocked but then passed, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.
The hang-up was the Illinois regulation that prohibits a “tied-house.” Originally passed in 1934 in Illinois, they attempted to ban a bar from exclusively selling alcohol from one brewery.
“By granting gifts and loaning money to retailers, manufacturers, distributors and importing distributors had effectively “tied” themselves to retailers to the point of excluding competitors,” according to the regulations.
According to Crain’s, Hickory Street Capital, a real-estate development company owned by Ricketts family, inked an 11-year deal with AB InBev — Budweiser’s parent company — for naming right’s to the establishment.
There is an exemption for sports and entertainment venues (Remember the formerly named Captain Morgan Club at Wrigley?), but the state commission argued that new tavern would not fall under that because you patronized the tavern without having a ticket to Wrigley Field.
Hickory Street Capital said the Budweiser name alone didn’t exclude other alcohol brands. They’ve struck a separate deal with Four Corners Tavern Group to operate the bar. They are the ones — not HSC — to determine the alcohol.
The two-story, 15,000 square-foot restaurant and bar, which is named for Cubs’ broadcaster Jack Brickhouse, opened June 27 outside of Wrigley Field at the Park at Wrigley.
