A French Restaurant With a Rotating ‘Carousel Bar’ Is Coming to the Loop

The owners of popular downtown French restaurants Cochon Volant Brasserie and Taureaux Tavern are planning a new venture in the Loop with a revolving bar. Francois Frankie is slated to open this summer with another focus on French food, a news release announces.

The 6,500 square-foot restaurant, a partnership between Well Done Hospitality and developer John Buck, is located at 222 W. Randolph Street. Buck’s company first announced plans to develop the location in 2010. Owners applied for a liquor license in late March.

The restaurant’s centerpiece will be a custom-made rotating “carousel bar,” inspired by the bar inside New Orlean’s Hotel Monteleone in the city’s historic French Quarter. 555 International, the firm behind Taureaux Tavern, Walton Street Kitchen & Bar, and Roister, among others, engineered and designed it. Chefs Mike Sheerin (Cicchetti, Rockit Bar & Grill, Taureaux Tavern) and Matt Ayala (Cochon Volant Brasserie) are creating the menu, which has yet to be announced, and reps haven’t yet released more information on the food and drink.

Francois Frankie is the sixth project from Well Done Hospitality Group, which also operates casual two-location salad spot Mixed Greens, River North pizzeria Dough Bros, Cochon Volant Brasserie and most recently, Taureaux Tavern in the Loop.

The Chicago Tribune first reported on the project. Stay tuned for more news as the Francois Frankie progresses.