A Chicago Company Plans To Open Hampton-Themed Bar/Restaurants Nationwide

— When Beach House Social closed earlier this month in Wicker Park, parent company Parker Restaurant Group teased that the brand name would pop up again. Now it’s clearer what they had in mind. The owners of Hampton Social and the Bassment plan to open 17 new bars/restaurants over the next three years, according to a news release, giving Parker 22 locations by 2021. The company first plans to open a Hampton Social in suburban Skokie in December, while other proposals include opening South Barrington, Orlando, and Nashville locations next year. A Cleveland opening in the summer will include a Bassment, the company’s speakeasy-style music and cocktail venue. The summery bar, which aims to make customers feel like they’re in the Hamptons, debuted in 2015 in River North with skepticism and recently opened a Streeterville location.

— Normally, the March opening of Original Rainbow Cone, the iconic South Side ice cream shop, is a sign of sunshine. Its seasonal closing in October meant Chicagoans could soon expect winter, but this year the Beverly ice cream parlor will stay open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through December to see if customer demand warrants year-long operation, according to Block Club Chicago. It also has a Navy Pier location.

— Fans who haven’t visited the U.S. Pizza Museum in the South Loop have good news. The exhibit, which was originally slated to end in October at the Roosevelt Collection shopping center, will at least be extended through December, according to a news release. Tickets are for sale here and management added a few new events to round out the year.

— The Dawson, the River West restaurant and bar from Billy Lawless and company, has a new head bartender. They promoted Erik Hmiel, who worked at Billy Sunday in Logan Square before spending time in South Africa, and has already updated the drink list with 11 new cocktails. The job had been vacant for two years.

— And finally, a suburban restaurant opening in Wauconda has the town — about 50 miles northwest of Chicago — talking. The owners of Little Rock Stock Cafe are from Light of the World Ministries, and they claim — as the Tribune reported — that “Great BBQ makes fast friends.” That may be true enough, but a Light of World board member and his wife also run a separate group called Naked Apostles, and their practices include nude “prayer counseling.” Local officials tell the Trib that the restaurant and church operations are separate and they have been all up to code.