The Broken Oar expands views in Port Barrington
An interview with Bonnie Miske, general manager at The Broken Oar.
Q: Describe your business.
A: The Broken Oar Marina Bar & Grill is situated on 7 riverfront acres with some of the most scenic views found on the lower Fox River. It was established in 1904 and has become a destination for food and fun for customers all over the Midwest. Three generations of customers now enjoy our panoramic views, year round riverfront dining, full service marina and the largest outdoor beer garden in McHenry County with unmatched entertainment in the summer.
Q: You are having a grand reopening. Describe the expansion.
A: We have added a “skydeck” which is an oversized exterior deck for open air sunset dining at our upper level with fantastic views of the river and increased our interior space to provide panoramic views of the river, extra seating and a great venue for evening entertainment.
Q: It’s tough to make it in the restaurant industry. How have you made things work?
A: We have tried to maintain reasonable pricing, provide low budget daily specials and never charge a cover charge for entertainment so that our customers can afford to go out.
Q: Why do people keep coming back?
A: The incredible views, the extraordinary setting that makes you feel like you are living a “vacation lifestyle” but are actually nestled in the middle of the northwest suburbs of Chicago, our awesome staff that do everything they can to make our guests feel welcome and have fun while they are here, and most importantly the great mix of customers that we have.
Q: If you could give a tip to a restaurant owner, what would it be?
A: Be present, treat your customers like you would like to be treated, and make your employees accountable.
Q: What makes you different from your competitors?
A: We have an extraordinary location on 7 acres on the Fox River with spectacular views, incredible food, the largest beer garden in McHenry County and are an unmatched venue for live outdoor entertainment in the summer. Our huge volume of weekend traffic in the summer months makes for some of the best ‘people watching’ you can imagine.
Q: What keeps you up at night?
A: Planning for ways to continually improve the business and the building in order to make it even more fun for our guests.
Q: When you are not at the restaurant, what do you enjoy doing?
A: Spending time with friends, boating on the river and riding my motorcycle.
Ÿ Every Monday we profile a small business. We want to her about yours. Contact us at kmikus@dailyherald.com.
The Broken Oar Inc.
614 Rawson Bridge Road, Port Barrington, IL 60010
Number of employees: 15 60 (seasonally)
Year business started: 1985
Web address: www.brokenoar.com
Owner: Michael Haber