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UPDATE: Replay Beer & Bourbon will take over the Lakeview location of Headquarters Beercade. It was previously reported that the bar would close. Instead on Nov. 19 it will open under new management as Replay Lakeview/Lincoln Park, according to a news release.
These moves are a result of a lawsuit settlement. Mark Kwiatkowski will join Replay's parent company, LKH Management, as a partner. Kwiatkowski was also a former partner at Headquarters, and helped open the first two Replays arcade bars in Boystown and Andersonville. His former partners at Headquarters filed a lawsuit against him last year accused Kwiatkowski of bilking $2 million from Headquarters before opening similar arcade bars with LKH. The exact terms of the settlement weren’t released.
As part of the settlement, the Headquarters brand was divided into two, with Kwiatkowski gaining control of the arcade bar in Lakeview, according to an LKH spokesman. He then approached LKH to partner to keep the space going—again—according to an LKH spokesman.
Brian Galati and Chireal Jordan, the remaining partners at Headquarters, and their reps disputed LKH's statement, saying at no time was the brand divided into two as a result of the lawsuit or settlement. They stressed that Kwiatkowski did not grain any control or interest in the Headquarters brand.
Galati and Jordan still hope to open a new Chicago location in late spring of 2017. Headquarters in River North won’t be affected, and they haven’t provided any details on where they’ll open their new location. The new location will have food, according to a statement.
Here’s a quote attributed to Galati and Jordan:
"Our original Lakeview location has been a great starting point for the Headquarters brand. With the audience that we’ve gained and the concept that we’ve built, we need a location that is able to service all of our guests, games and the incredible menu we’ve created. Our Lakeview relocation is an exciting next step and we look forward to sharing location details in the weeks to come. As a brand, we concentrating on the tremendous success of our River North location, including a brand new menu, as well as the upcoming December opening of Headquarters Nashville, located just off the city’s famed Broadway strip."
