Johnny O’s, a Chicago institution in the hot dog world since 1970, has undergone some changes lately. New will be an arcade bar, the first on the city’s South Side, according to the South Side Weekly. The family-owned business paused its 24-hour service last year after patriarch John Veliotis (Johnny O) and one of his sons, John Jr., both passed away. Now, Johnny O’s other sons, Peter and Alex, are working to renovate a long-closed bar on their property — which has origins as a tavern — as an arcade bar.
“John Jr. would love it,” Alex said. “Get some old-school arcade games in here, get the old jukebox going again — playing vinyl, no digital — and I think it’ll go pretty well. You know, do the craft IPA beer and we’ll do some wine tasting in here. Ten, fifteen years ago we could’ve never done something like that, but I think now’s the right time for this area.”
Johnny O’s is located in the city’s Bridgeport neighborhood, less than a mile from the home of the Chicago White Sox.