Kanela Breakfast Club Taking Over The Savoy This Fall

[Photo: Jamco Creative]

Wicker Parkers will soon get a proven new breakfast and brunch option in the former home of a recently-shuttered seafood and absinthe spot. Kanela Breakfast Club owner Chris Lardakis and partner Alexi Giannoulias signed a lease yesterday for the former The Savoy space on Milwaukee and are aiming to turn it into a Kanela quickly—the planned opening date is early October.

This will be the fourth Kanela, and will open sooner than the Streeterville location that Lardakis inked in June and is planning to open in December. The existing Savoy space accounts for the quick turnaround, as Lardakis says that only cosmetic changes (furniture, paint, wallpaper, equipment) are necessary.

His crew will use part of the large former Savoy, which shuttered in late July, to bake bread, croissants, English muffins and more on-site, a first for a Kanela that will act as a main baking kitchen for the other locations. He's also planning to offer breakfast sandwiches to-go for morning commuters and to utilize the private event space.

Lardakis has been in negotiations for the space for months and had hoped to expand to the neighborhood for some time. "I think Wicker Park will be good for us," he says. "The space is perfect." He believes that few restaurants in the neighborhood offer what Kanela does: scratch-made American breakfast, brunch, and beverages that utilize local ingredients.

It may seem like Kanela is expanding quickly, but Lardakis has no immediate plans for more locations following these two openings. "I want to expand but I don't want to rush," he says. "The focus will be on these two, take it slow, then look at new ones."
· Seafood and Absinthe Spot The Savoy to Shutter on Sunday [-ECHI-]
· All Kanela Breakfast Club Coverage [-ECHI-]
· Kanela Breakfast Club [Official Site]