Bolingbrook Rock Bottom Restaurant, Brewery Closes Permanently

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Some local diners who have become accustomed to grabbing a bite and beer at Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery were surprised to arrive at the pub’s Bolingbrook location this week to discover it has closed for business.

Customers arrived at the brewpub on Boughton Road in the Promenade Bolingbrook on Wednesday to find a sign on the door announcing the closure. The restaurant, which was formerly Gordon Biersch, announced that the Bolingbrook location had permanently closed and thanked patrons for “the many great years of support.”

The sign encouraged customers to visit the chain’s other four Illinois locations, which are located in Chicago, Orland Park, Lombard and Warrenville. Rock Bottom has 17 locations nationwide.

Craftworks Holdings, the holdings company for Rock Bottom, which was founded in Colorado, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 after listing assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million. The company owned 330 breweries and restaurants in 36 states at the time.

Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta said in an email to Patch that Promenade management was made aware that the location would close this month, but an exact date was not provided.

She said it was sad to see the business close after it had been the site for many community events and had been supportive of many local not-for-profit organizations over the years.

“While we are sad to see them go, we do understand the strains that the pandemic has put on businesses and know that some are not able to continue to survive in the current economy,” Alexander-Basta said in the email.

Like the mayor, Bolingbrook Village Trustee Michael Carpanzano praised the long-time business for being a “solid community partner” who also cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for the closure this week.

“Losing a local business that is active in our community and engaged in local events is tough to see close their doors,” Carpanzano wrote in an email to Patch on Thursday. “As a community, we need to continue shopping and eating local, right here in Bolingbrook.”