Navy Pier is heading in a new direction as the tourist attraction waves goodbye to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. — the seafood restaurant that greeted visitors for 24 years parked near the pier’s main entrance. As the Forrest Gump-inspired restaurant ends its run, celebrity chef Art Smith is ready to take over. He plans to open Reunion, a southern restaurant, in the spring inside the high-volume space near Streeterville.
Ownership is hopeful that COVID-19 numbers are down by the projected opening date. Bubba Gump, a chain run by mega restaurant group Landry’s, debuted in 1996 in Monterrey, California — two years after Forrest Gump premiered. The Chicago location opened also opened in 1996, part of Navy Pier’s massive remodel that saw the installation of a Ferris wheel.
Smith, in an email to Eater Chicago, says he adores the movie and has cooked for movie’s star, Tom Hanks, several times. He recalls Hanks asking Smith’s husband, Jesus, for his rhinestone belt while a Oprah Winfrey’s 50th birthday party in Hollywood. The belt read “Jesus Saves.”
The restaurant is a collaboration with George and Manolis Alpogianis of ADM Restaurant Group. The company oversees America’s Dog & Burger; they also have a stand at the pier. Smith is ready to give Navy Pier something new. News broke in September that management informed Landry’s that their lease wouldn’t be renewed. While some chains remain at Navy Pier, management is trying to diversify restaurant choices. Smith notes that it’s the same strategy as Disney World where Chicago chef Rick Bayless also has a restaurant.
“The movie was Oscar worthy, [but] not the restaurant chain that’s across America!” Smith writes.
It’s the start of a new era for Smith who’s had a Gold Coast restaurant for 15 years. The original restaurant, Table 52, would morph into Blue Door Kitchen & Garden in 2016. The restaurant became home to Smith’s signature fried chicken. Smith is nationally known and was Winfrey’s personal chef.
Smith writes that Navy Pier officials approached him last year and asked if he could create a restaurant similar in vibe to Chef Art Smith Homecomin’. That restaurant opened in 2016 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
“I truly believe I can recreate the magic!” Smith writes. “Don’t forget Walt Disney started in Chicago. I am not Mr. Disney, but I truly understand his philosophy.”
Disney’s childhood home is in Hermosa on Chicago’s West Side. If Reunion’s menu is like the Disney World restaurant, expect southern with many of the same items as Blue Door. Smith did mention one item: Chef Art Smith’s Reunion Hemp Seed Lemon Cake with Roasted Hemp Deed Drizzle. Smith writes that he’s created a trademark for the cake which is made with CBD: “It’s fun to eat and it’s healthful,” Smith writes. “Hemp is the hottest new crop being grown in the U.S.”
Reunion, slated for a spring opening at Navy Pier.