Printers Row Sports Bar Reserv Faces Eviction as Noise Complaints and Wage Theft Claims Pile Up

A Printers Row sports bar that has drawn a steady stream of neighbor complaints since opening last December is now fighting to stay open, facing an eviction lawsuit over unpaid rent and accusations from former workers that they were never paid for their time.

Reserv, at 744 S. Dearborn St., opened in December under owner Gerald Joseph. Since then, residents in the surrounding buildings have complained about noise that carries well past the bar's 2 a.m. closing time and about fights breaking out in a nearby parking lot. Last month, the building's owner, Roots Dearborn Real Estate LLC, filed an eviction notice claiming Joseph owes $45,800 in back rent.

According to court records, Joseph received three notices demanding payment, the most recent in May, and the filing alleges he also failed to pay rent in June. The building owner's filing goes further than a rent dispute, claiming Joseph breached his lease through "actions that have given rise to complaints by the city for license and other operational violations" and by using unlicensed gaming devices inside the bar. The filing does not spell out what those complaints involved.

Joseph confirmed he is being sued and said he plans to fight the case, but he declined to discuss the specifics.

Separately, at least three former employees have told reporters they are owed wages, including one who said she has not been paid since March. Joseph disputed one of those claims, producing a bank statement showing a $5,372.13 check issued to that employee in May. He did not provide records addressing the other two workers' claims.

Joseph acknowledged he has struggled to make payroll on time, and he tied that difficulty to changes he was forced to make to his hours of operation on his busiest nights as part of a compromise with neighbors. He said the adjustment cut into revenue he needed to cover both business costs and staff pay.

"Due to that, you know, we were not making any kind of income in order to support the business, as well as the employees," Joseph said. "So sometimes these paychecks were coming a week, maybe two weeks late."

The rent and wage disputes come on top of a monthslong fight between Joseph and neighbors over noise. Residents in buildings near Reserv have reported feeling vibrations through their walls late into the night, long after the bar's posted closing times, along with disturbances and altercations in the parking lot outside.

In February, hundreds of residents signed a petition asking the city to enforce its noise ordinance against Reserv. Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) said his office fielded an "overwhelming number of calls and emails" from residents asking for help with the late-night noise. Robinson convened a town hall in April with neighbors, Chicago Police Department representatives and Reserv's ownership.

"Residents made clear that they welcomed a restaurant but not nightclub operations that disrupted the surrounding community," Robinson said in a statement. "At that meeting, the owners committed to operating as good neighbors and within the condition of their license. Unfortunately the complaints continued."

Robinson said the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection has since held additional community meetings and taken enforcement action. Residents who attended a June 18 meeting said the department handed Reserv's owners a list of required changes: multiple noise reduction measures, earlier closing times on weekends than the bar's scheduled 1 a.m. Friday, 2 a.m. Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday closings, an end to bottle service, and a security guard posted outside to monitor patrons and stop illegal parking.

At a follow-up meeting Thursday, Joseph told neighbors he had met with a sound engineer on noise abatement, swapped sparklers for LED lights and moved up the end time for late-night events. He said he directed his security staff to watch patrons both inside and outside the venue.

City officials gave Joseph more time to complete other items on the list, including making sure all staff serving alcohol are properly certified and posting signage instructing patrons to leave quietly at closing. He is due back before the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection on July 23. A spokesperson for the department did not respond to a request for comment on the case.

Failing to meet the city's conditions could cost Reserv its business license outright, on top of the eviction case already moving through the courts.

Joseph said he believes his business has been singled out because it's minority-owned. "I have a Public Place of Amusement license, which gives me the right to entertain my clientele. I have a liquor license to sell liquor. There is nothing in my operational plan that states I cannot sell liquor by the bottle. I only work with licensed event planners. That's why I'm confused by this," said Joseph, who is Indian.

He said he's added more signage asking patrons to respect the neighborhood and has increased security at the venue.

Reserv remains open as the eviction case moves through Cook County court. Joseph's next compliance review with the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection is scheduled for July 23.