Nick Smith will be busy this summer. Not only will he be running his 8-year-old Old Republic Kitchen + Bar in Elgin, but he’s also transforming a former IHOP in the same Randall Road strip mall into a new restaurant.
“We just closed on the property last week and then started working on it,” said Smith, who says he’s not ready yet to disclose the new business’ concept or cuisine.
“We’re very excited to be doing this. I can tell you that there will be a lot of synergy between Old Republic and the new place, while the new place will be something that’s not seen in this area. It also will be reflective of the traditions of the Karas Restaurant Group, which has been part of the Fox Valley since 1974.”
Smith owns and operates Old Republic with his parents, Jeff and Susanne Smith. It is part of the Karas Group, which is overseen by Smith’s uncle, Bob Karas.
Smith lived for awhile in California, where he began work on “Munger Road,” a low-budget horror movie he wrote, directed and produced. Set in the Fox Valley, the 2011 movie is what brought him back to the area and led to him open Old Republic.
It took about eight months’ work to convert a shuttered Lone Star Steakhouse into the establishment they envisioned, which serves their version of pub grub like ribs, chicken wings, burgers and pizza, he said.
“Buying the IHOP is serendipity. It’s déjà vu,” Smith said. “It’s actually a year older than the Lone Star was, which was 20 years old when we bought it. We’re looking forward to taking an old restaurant again, making it new and transforming it. It has good bones.”
The project has been in the works for almost a year. After the IHOP closed last June, Smith said he was one of the first potential buyers to take a look at the building. He put in a bid, which led to negotiations and a deal being inked.
Smith said he believes his family’s experience in opening and growing Old Republic — especially keeping it afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic — will serve them well as they embark on the new endeavor.
“When the lockdown started in March 2020, a lot of people felt helpless, with things out of their control. We worked to focus on what we could control,” he said.
Thinking beyond the carryout and delivery it could still offer, Old Republic did things like screening “Munger Road” outside in its parking lot to entertain people tired of being stuck in their homes. They also offered car washes to customers who were picking up food, he said.
When restrictions eased a bit that summer, Old Republic put up “the Taj Mahal of tents,” said Smith, which led to building a stage over an islandlike parking lot partition inside the tented area.
These days, in addition to its indoor dining areas, Old Republic has a large outdoor patio, fire pits and two upper levels, including an elevated sky deck.
“We’ve developed a great customer base,” he said. “With indoor seating for 200 and outdoor seating for another 700, we can get 5,000 to 6,000 guests a week.”
With his attention now turned to the new restaurant, Smith said he’s in no rush to get it open.
“You won’t be able to tell it was an IHOP,” Smith said. “We’re fortunate in that we can afford to take our time. We want to get it right.”
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
