The signs were being changed today at 1601 Sherman Ave. in downtown Evanston as World of Beer became the Evanston Pub.
Ted Mavrakis, who owns the Fountain Square building where the restaurant is located, opened the local World of Beer franchise about seven years ago, after a controversy over the chain’s business model, which didn’t include having its own kitchen for food service.
Mavrakis eventually agreed to add a kitchen to the plans. It was the second try for Mavrakis to bring a restaurant to the space, which had previously been a real estate office.
He’d been shot down earlier on efforts to bring a Tilted Kilt franchise to the site, after then Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl rejected the liquor license over the skimpy uniforms worn by waitresses.
As of today the Evanston location is no longer listed on the World of Beer website, but the renamed restaurant’s Twitter feed is still boasting “50 Taps, 500 Bottles” and more than 20 TVs.
Mavrakis, who formerly owned the Giordano’s pizza franchise in Evanston lost it after the franchisor sued complaining that he’d violated a noncompete agreement by investing in the Leona’s restaurant chain.