THE PARK SUPPER CLUB EYES END OF MONTH OPENING

Maryann and Reginald Marsh, co-owners of Park Supper Club, said Park Supper Club will have music and a dining experience. Photo by Maryann Marsh
Maryann and Reginald Marsh, co-owners of Park Supper Club, said Park Supper Club will have music and a dining experience. Photo by Maryann Marsh

 The Park Supper Club eyes end of month opening

BY TIA CAROL JONES
     Owners of The Park Supper Club, located at 65 E. Garfield Blvd., were in the process of preparing to open. Then
COVID-19 hit, and the process was put on hold. Now, the Washington Park music and dining establishment is looking at
opening by early May.
     Maryann and Reginald Marsh own M Lounge, located at 1520 S. Wabash, and Per.So.Na, located at 408 S. Wells. They’ve always dreamed of opening a jazz lounge reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance era. So, they created M Lounge. But, they also wanted to create a place where people could listen to live music and enjoy a dining experience. They came up with the idea for the Park Supper Club and started work in 2019, before the pandemic.
     Maryann Marsh said they decided to put the establishment in Washington Park because there was a Neighborhood
Opportunity Fund.
     “When we heard that, we partnered with a couple other friends and business partners and we decided that bringing
the amazing atmosphere of M Lounge to this southern Garfield Boulevard corner because we could take advantage of the
NOF Grant as well as bring a touch of something different, something unique, something downtown to the South side,”
she said.
     Marsh said a lot of customers who patronize M Lounge are from the South side, they live in Englewood, Washington Park
and Hyde Park. She said their professional clientele wanted somewhere to go that was closer to where they live.
     Marsh, who had COVID-19, said the project stalled because workers couldn’t be in the same room at the same time. She said they had to take it one day at a time. “We knew we couldn’t open in the pandemic, so we knew we just had to hang on,” she said.
     The Park Supper Club did receive some grants, but because they weren’t open in 2019, they didn’t get some of the bigger grants. “It was really tough on us, but we were so far in. If my husband and I hadn’t been 15-year veterans in the industry and had a good amount of savings and retirement
assets, we wouldn’t be here,” she said.
     Marsh said they had to calculate how much it would cost to wait until they could open. She recognized that some people aren’t able to incur that cost to wait out the pandemic. She said they were blessed to be able to.
     Marsh said they increased the number of air handlers in the supper club. There will be hand sanitizing stations as well as hand sanitizers at each table. The servers and bartenders will wear masks and the doors will be open as much as possible.
“We’re going to do everything possible to keep our customers safe, including limiting our occupancy, even below what
the mayor has asked,” she said.
     Marsh said Park Supper Club has an intimate dining room and the occupancy is 100. While the city has said there can
be 50 people there, they want to space out the tables and seat people at every other table. She said she realizes they will take a hit, but they are committed to the safety of
customers and staff.
     “Here we are, we’re ready to open. We’re going to open and hopefully by the time the summer months are upon us, hopefully more people will be vaccinated, and we can be open more broadly,” she said.
     For more information on Park Supper Club, visit www.theparksupperclub.com.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.