Even before the pandemic began closing restaurants in March, Charlie McKenna was set to embark on something new with Lillie’s Q, his popular barbecue that spend 10 years in Bucktown. A week before Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order to close restaurants went into effect in March, McKenna had plans in motion to move into a new location. Two months later, Lillie’s Q on Friday opened in their new home inside District Brew Yards, the pour-your-own beer taproom that houses four breweries in West Town.
Memorial Day weekend is a good time to open a barbecue restaurant, and Lillie’s Q is among Chicago’s elite choices for smoked meats. Chicago-style barbecue — from aquarium smokers and rib tips on the South Side at Lem’s and Uncle John’s, to ribs that don’t fall off the bone, the ones with meat with a little bit more chew at Twin Anchors and Carson’s — have long been a part of the city’s fabric. But a decade ago, Chicagoans weren’t as familiar with regional barbecue specialties. McKenna introduced customers to styles including Carolina and Memphis variations.
As far as the decision to open during the pandemic, many restaurant owners are deciding to come back for takeout and delivery to reintroduce themselves to customers before outdoor or indoor dining resumes in Chicago. McKenna says he just wanted to “give people a taste of the food again.”
“We just want to be ready to go,” he says.
The menu is the same as the Bucktown location. They also serve fried chicken from McKenna’s LQ Chicken Shack spinoff. Beer naturally lends its to be paired with smoked meats, and McKenna made sure Lillie’s Q was well stocked with craft beer choices. Being part of that community is how he connected with District Brew Yards. McKenna looks forward to customers enjoying a beer with one of his smoked chicken wings.
District Brew Yards, like many pour-your-own beer bars, uses the PourMyBeer system, in which customers link their credit cards to plastic card given to them at the entrance. That card is used to activate the draft beer taps and keeps track of how much is consumed. At the end of the visits, customers drop those cards off with a cashier without needing to check in. When restaurants reopen for dine-in, customers will use those cards to buy food at Lillie’s Q. District Brew Yards’s payment system is a plus for McKenna and Lillie’s Q.
“It’s going to make it a lot easier,” he says. “Less touching, less talking to people, it’s a great system.”
Barbecue isn’t new to District Brew Yards, which opened last year. McKenna is taking over the existing barbecue stall, transferring some equipment from the Bucktown restaurant. He says they’ve built out the space to look like his original location. Bottles of Lillie’s Q’s sauce are prominently displayed and available for purchase.
McKenna also has four Lillie’s Q locations inside United Center, the Near West Side arena where the Chicago Blackhawks and Bulls play. Good news for fans emerged last week when the NBA unveiled a plan to resume the season at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida where all teams would play their games. The NHL also has a plan for neutral site games. But that news doesn’t impact home team arena vendors. They’re still taking a hit as the United Center remains empty. McKenna says United Center officials have been kind, reaching to him to see if they can be of assistance. Air travel has snarled during the pandemic, and that’s also hurt McKenna’s barbecue business. Lillie’s Q has also partnered with United Airlines on in-flight meals.
However, the new location has McKenna feeling optimistic. He’s ready to start a new chapter: “I’m very excited with this new direction,” he says. “It’s given me a rejuvenation even through all of this.”
Lillie’s Q, inside District Brew Yards, 417 N. Ashland Avenue, open 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday through Sunday.