Who is 86?
We’re a highly collaborative and supportive team, coming together to ensure our guests not only enjoy every bite, but also have a great experience worth coming back for.
A Shared Passion
Steph and I met while working together at (you guessed it) a restaurant in West Dundee, IL. We were somehow fortunate to constantly find work together; working at multiple different restaurants as a team.
We got married in 2021 at (I’m sure you can see where this is going) a restaurant/brewery in Barrington, IL.
The rush from a busy weekend night, the laughter and smiles on the faces of guests, and the dedication from fellow employees is what we love about the industry.
We are here to ’86’ the conventional operations of a restaurant, for both the guests and employees, and do this our way.
“I originally went to college to become a physicist, computer programer, Japanese translator, teacher, an artist. Upon graduating from The University of Iowa with a degree in ‘Art,’ I moved to Huntington Beach, California. Leaving behind a successful tech repair business, I began work as a graphic designer. Not enjoying being confined to a cubicle all week, I moved back to Illinois and picked up a serving job while continuing to look for work in my field. After serving at a wonderful bar for some amazing owners in East Dundee (shout out to Rosie O’Hare’s!), I realized how much I enjoyed making people smile. I quickly mastered serving, moved on to bartending, and began to manage at a couple different family run businesses in West Dundee. After seeing how most restaurants operated, I knew I could do better; for both the guests visiting and the hard working employees.”
- Jason
“Everyone that knows me, understands how much I enjoy the restaurant industry. I grew up wanting to become a chef; reading every cook book I could get my hands on and watching every chef I could find. As a general manager in the industry, my mom was a huge inspiration to me. She would take me to work with her and let me stand in the kitchen watching the line work its magic. I longed to go to culinary school and eventually got the opportunity. While attending school, I got the privilege to work on the line for my mom. I got to work with one of the most inspirational chefs. His talent inspired my aspirations of cooking even more. Eventually, I moved out of the kitchen to get to know more about running a restaurant. I have worked every position possible in a restaurant; management to host. When I met Jason, the dream I’ve always had to own my own restaurant started to become a reality. The connection with the guests that I meet and my passion for food is what I love to teach my staff.”