Paul Sundy, co-owner of Big Whiskey's, plans to open another location of the bar and grill on Springfield's south side, as well as one in Little Rock, Ark.
Big Whiskey's co-owner eyes multiple ventures in '09
Matt Wagner
Posted online
The fact that other businesses are bracing for the worst in 2009 has only emboldened Springfield entrepreneur Paul Sundy.
The 30-year-old impresario whose restaurant know-how is the driving factor behind Big Whiskey's Bar & Grill, Parlor 88 and Fedora Social House has set his sights on growth in the new year.
His plans for 2009 include a second Big Whiskey's on Springfield's south side and a second Parlor 88 on the city's east side, possibly in the vicinity of the Sam's Club on East Sunshine Street. Sundy said he would like to have the new Big Whiskey's open in April, but he and partners Michael Heslin and Randy Gildehaus are still vetting real estate.
Big Whiskey's opened in July 2006 at 311 Park Central East and has fared well, Sundy said, noting that 2008 revenue was up 25 percent over 2007 without disclosing specific figures.
The original Parlor 88, a stylish lounge offering appetizers and cocktails, debuted in Gallery Eleven shopping center, 1111 E. Republic Road, in August 2007. Sundy's partner in Parlor 88 is Jay Hickman, owner of downtown's Ernie Biggs Chicago Style Dueling Piano Bar.
Sundy also recently shed his ownership in downtown Springfield's Icon Nightclub - another business he was instrumental in starting. He and Heslin sold their combined share of Icon, 307 Park Central East, to Gildehaus, who is now the club's sole owner.
Sundy finished 2008 on a high note with the November opening of a Big Whiskey's in Little Rock, Ark., in the city's downtown River Market District. Sundy partnered with Little Rock owners Daniel Bryant and Brett Smith to open the restaurant-bar hybrid that Sundy hopes will someday be as successful as the T.G.I. Friday's franchise.
The Arkansas Big Whiskey's features the same menu items and drinks conjured up by Sundy for his flagship Springfield location.
Springfield may also soon have a new barbecue joint if Sundy achieves his 2009 goals. He's been working with Bryant to open the first Missouri location of Whole Hog Cafe, a Little Rock-based barbecue chain with restaurants in Arkansas, Tennessee, New Mexico and Louisiana.
"The product sells itself," Sundy said of Whole Hog's eats. "These ribs are better than our ribs at Big Whiskey's and that's tough for me to say."
See SBJ's Jan. 5 issue for more about Sundy's business ventures.[[In-content Ad]]
