Arlington Racetrack's Backstretch Kitchen Can Now Serve Alcohol

Scruffy’s Kitchen, Inc., now owned by John Gurhy, was granted a Class E liquor license by the Arlington Heights Village Board earlier this month.

The private restaurant, also known as the Backstretch Kitchen, is not open to the general public. The dining establishment caters to horse owners and about 1,500 backstretch workers and their families, many of whom live there seasonally at Arlington International.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

John Gurhy, the new owner of the restaurant, said about 98 percent of his customers are Latino families who work at Arlington International during the summer racing season, before heading to jobs at Hawthorne Racecourse in Stickney/Cicero in the fall.

Arlington International backstretch workers and their families receive free on-site housing during the summer racing season, Gurhy said, but the employees are prohibited from cooking hot meals in the dormitory-style lodgings due to fire safety codes.

Village trustees expressed their concerns in regards to the 91 police calls to the backstretch during the 2015 summer season, according to the Daily Herald.

The Daily Herald reports:

Gurhy, who has worked in restaurants and bars in the Chicago area since the 1980s, said he has never had any liquor violations and understands the seriousness of the trustees' concerns.

The restaurant will be open at 5 a.m. each day and will only be open during the summer racing season. The last day of racing this year is Sept. 24.

Read more via Chicago Tribune and Daily Herald.