Eat, drink and be merry at the Squire Ale House

With a passion for the restaurant business and a love of great food, Bob Karas has launched his 17th dining establishment with Squire Ale House in Campton Hills.

“I love this business. It’s a passion,” Karas said.

Karas was raised in the business for the last 50 years, recalling how his father Paul and his Uncle George launched their first restaurant in 1974.

Karas’s restaurant portfolio includes Rookies with locations in St. Charles, Geneva, Elgin, Huntley, Crystal Lake, Hoffman Estates and Alexander’s Café in Elgin and St. Charles. His restaurant group also owns Village Squire Restaurants which include locations in Dundee, Crystal Lake, McHenry, South Elgin and the newest Squire on the Square in Woodstock.

Managing multiple locations in the Kane, McHenry corridor of Illinois means a lot of time on the road for Karas, but he’s quick to point out it takes a team of great people to make it work. This includes the staff to his partnerships. For the Squire Ale House in Campton Hills Karas has partnered with John Alimissis, who also partners with him at Rookies and executive chef Mike ‘NY’ Sahin.

“I have a lot of good people. My biggest asset is my people,” Karas said.

He particularly credits his family (partner Eloisa Gomez and their children) for their patience when work claims his time, as well as his sisters Eleni and Despina, corporate chef Grant Werner, operations manager Mike Mackin, Shelby Correa and all business partners, managers and chefs.

The latest restaurant is a bit of a sentimental project, as he recalls visiting the location under its prior ownership when he was in the mood to let someone else cook for him, adding the restaurant has the best rotisserie chicken.

“It was a great location and I know it was very popular,” Karas said. “I loved the ambiance and the rotisserie chicken.”

In taking over the location, Karas and his team had their work ahead of them. The previously vacant location had water damage, broken equipment and was in need of updates. In the building renovations he repaired, replaced and added a new outdoor patio with a stage for room for music and entertainment in the future.

For Karas, the vision of the restaurant, the design, construction are the “easy part” but the real work is the daily grind, managing daily operations and of course, keeping the menu delicious and enticing.

For Squire Ale House in Campton Hills his team is focused on dinner service, with some of the favorites from his other Squire restaurants such as ribs, prime rib and his signature Mai Tai cocktail. He and Chef Sahin have added some comfort food favorites, pot roast, schnitzel, broasted chicken and burgers too.

“We present them with a little twist,” Karas said.

And out of sentiment, Karas insisted on having the delicious rotisserie chicken too.

“I’m very hands-on with the kitchen and the menu,” he added. “I love what I do and adding new employees and customers to our family.”