Neighborhood
Representin' in da 'Hood
November 18, 2009

Former football stars bring school spirit to Wrigleyville bar

Apparently football head coach Pat Fitzgerald wasn’t kidding when he said that the team teaches you life skills. Former Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher and offensive lineman Keegan Kennedy have already taken their unique on-field dynamic and applied it to the world of business with the opening of Purple Haze, the newest bar in Wrigleyville.

The bar, located at 3415 N. Clark St., near the Addison stop, caters specifically to a Northwestern crowd. It features a lounge-style atmosphere with large leather couches, glistening chandeliers and flat screen TVs lining the purple walls.

According to managing partner Domonique Brown, “We wanted Purple Haze to be more than just a bar. We wanted to create a safe, comfortable haven for a classy, professional college crowd. This is a great spot for college socialites looking to have fun in a sophisticated environment.”

Bacher says he heard about the opportunity to transform Purple Haze into a Northwestern bar through Lisa Hogan, a promoter who does a lot of recruiting at Northwestern and has connections with the bar’s owner, Chris Peckat. He and Kennedy jumped at the chance to get involved in creating a Northwestern bar in Wrigleyville.

Alongside Peckat and Brown, Bacher manages operations and helps to decide the direction of the bar. “Kennedy does a great job and is my right-hand man,” he says. “He takes care of any remaining work that needs to be done. We get to work half the nights together, which is really fun for us.”

Bacher emphasizes that he and Kennedy both apply many of the lessons they learned under Coach Pat Fitzgerald to their work ethic in the business world.

“There is absolutely a discipline you learn when you’re on the football field that definitely carries over,” he says. “Many things we learned while playing football apply here as well, as far as leading people, showing up to meetings on time, and being prepared for all situations. These are things that were necessary for any practice or any game.”

Bacher adds that he and Peckat saw the void in Wrigleyville, and agreed that it would be a good idea to create a Northwestern bar in the area.

“It was a simultaneous idea between the two of us. To be so close to Northwestern and to have it not be represented is something that throughout college upset me a bit. As soon as I had the chance to change it, I jumped at it.”

Bacher says in the early stages of development, their current goal is to establish a solid identity.

“We’ve definitely been pushing the Northwestern students and alumni first motto and we will expand from there. We have great specials every night, and we offer better party packages than many other bars in the area.”

Purple Haze is a restaurant in addition to a bar, which sets them apart from other bars in the area.

“This brings in a very culturally diverse Chicago crowd in addition to the Northwestern students who we hope will come here,” Brown says. “The atmosphere in this neighborhood is something we think will really appeal to college students.”

The bar is easily accessible by the red or purple line on the El, or other public transportation. However, in order to further assist students, Purple Haze will also provide for a bus every Thursday and Saturday night for $3 dollars. The bus will leave from Patten Gym at 9:45 p.m. and the Arch at 9:50 p.m., and will return to campus around 1:30 a.m.

“We provide a medium where you are able to be around Northwestern students here and feel comfortable around your own crowd, yet you still get to meet students from other areas. This was something I wish I had been able to do more of throughout my college experience, and it’s something I wanted to work on now, for my fellow Northwestern students,” Bacher says.

Originally published by NorthbyNorthwestern.com.

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