Comments on The Ketch Seafood Grill’s Facebook page have resembled a shark feeding frenzy, as each tantalizing post hinting at a reopening is met with a flood of questions.
“When’s the opening date?” one respondent asks. “Waiting impatiently for opening!” said another. “Menu? Opening when? We have been waiting sooooo long!” said a third questioner, out of many others.
The beloved restaurant first opened in 1987, then closed in July 2023 after owner Art Howard retired and sold the business. Howard had run The Ketch since 1995, and the restaurant remained on the market for nearly a year before an investment group purchased it.
Ryan Foster, one of the new co-owners of The Ketch, revealed a few more details about the highly anticipated reopening of the restaurant, with its motto, “When the Beach is Out of Reach.”
At long last, the big day is scheduled for July 7.
“Several of the other partners and I frequented The Ketch for many years prior to hearing that Art was contemplating selling the business,” Foster said. “We were regulars first and interested owners second.”
Courtesy The Ketch
Guests at The Ketch Seafood Grill will spot some familiar sights — and faces — when the restaurant reopens, including the original bar, now refurbished and ready to serve alongside fresh renovations and new additions.
Over the past two years, the new partners have overseen extensive renovations. Some walls were removed, but cubby spaces were preserved for intimate table settings. A larger flexible space now accommodates private events and special occasions. The patio is also set to be expanded, with new furniture, plants, and fencing, as well as a water feature.
The renovation also included a full interior remodel and significant exterior updates. The team remodeled the bathrooms, installed a second bar with access to the patio, upgraded much of the kitchen equipment, and added a dedicated sushi-making room. All-new furniture was brought in, the original bar was refurbished, and a small stage was built to host acoustic music performances.
Foster says they’ve also tailored offerings for evening crowds, with live music and a streamlined late-night menu featuring appetizers and sushi.
Despite all the changes, indoor seating will still accommodate about 90 guests, with space for 40–50 on the patio. The restaurant’s former chef is returning, along with some other staff members.
Courtesy The Ketch
Favorites like steamed crab leg buckets will be back on the menu when The Ketch reopens in early July at 2012 Regency Road.
Signature dishes including cornbread salad, hush puppies, crab, and summer salads will all make a comeback, as will weekly events like Oyster Mondays and Shrimp Wednesdays. Weekend brunch service will also resume, in time.
Why did the process take so long? Foster explained that along with a few “starts and stops” to work on other projects, more modifications and needs were unearthed that kept extending the team’s to-do list.
“Every time we finished one project, we had to make a decision whether it made sense to expand and improve another area of the restaurant we hadn’t originally thought about improving” to avoid having to do it later, he said.
In the lead-up to its early July opening, The Ketch will host a series of ticketed soft-opening events in partnership with local nonprofits.
Foster is excited to rejoin the roster of independently owned eateries along the Southland Drive corridor, which includes Winchell’s, PieTana, Rosemont Station, and South of Wrigley, among others.
“We all go to those places, too,” he said.
Foster grew up around the Southland Drive area and recalls eating many meals at The Ketch. He’s already dreaming of enjoying his favorite crab benedict once brunch is back on the menu.
“I never missed a brunch at The Ketch for many years,” he said.