TV Restaurants

Who Runs The Abbey Pub Now? Bar Rescue Update (Chicago, IL)

New owners reported

As of September 2026, chicagoabbey.com reports The Abbey Pub changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

Primary source
chicagoabbey.com ·
Secondary source
realitytvupdates.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The business's own website at the original Abbey Pub address advertises a "Grand Opening Summer 2026" under the name Chicago Abbey; a tracker page traces the original Looney-family business's closure to a 2015 fire and notes the new operator states on its own site that it has no connection to the original ownership.

  • Season / episode Season 1, Episode 3
  • Original air date
  • Address 3420 W Grace St, Chicago, IL 60618
  • Current name Chicago Abbey

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What happened after Bar Rescue?

The Abbey Pub had operated on West Grace Street in Chicago for twenty-four years by the time Bar Rescue's crew arrived, having been opened by Irish immigrant Tom Looney and later run for fifteen years by his son Pat. When Pat left the business to become a firefighter, another son, Tom Jr., took over as manager, and the pub's fortunes declined afterward. The Abbey combined a bar and a separate live-music venue in one building; producers found the music side of the room packed on a given night while the bar side sat largely empty, cutting into the potential for combined sales. Recon visits turned up stained furniture, uncollected litter, and a general manager who was eating rather than attending to customers. The family itself was divided, with tension between the two brothers over how to run the space and the parents wanting to retire but unable to afford to.

The rescue brought in a whiskey expert to assess overpouring and drink-recipe consistency, and a chef to overhaul a menu that needed trimming and updated food-safety practices in the kitchen. Staff retraining covered both drink-making and service standards, and Jon Taffer's team renamed the business The Green Room at the Abbey as part of repositioning it as a more food-and-drink-forward venue tied to the live-music side of the operation. A soft opening initially overwhelmed the kitchen with orders, but staff reported the new menu drew a positive response once service caught up.

For several years after the episode aired in 2011, the renamed venue continued operating with the Looney family in charge. That run ended when the family sold the building itself to raise money in 2015 and negotiated a lease with the new owner; a fire that same year gutted the space and forced its closure. A dispute followed between the Looneys and the new building owner over the cost of repairs -- the family sought roughly $500,000 to rebuild, while the owner offered less -- and the Looneys were never able to reopen under their ownership. Tom Looney died in July 2022. A separate, unrelated ownership group later took over the same address; as of September 2026, its website advertised a "Grand Opening Summer 2026" for a venue it calls Chicago Abbey, explicitly stating on its own site that it has no connection to the original Looney-family ownership.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 3
Original air date
Episode title
Shabby Abbey
What was featured
Irish pub and music venue overhaul rebranded as The Green Room at the Abbey
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
The Abbey Pub

Frequently asked questions

Is The Abbey Pub still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, chicagoabbey.com reports The Abbey Pub changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

What happened to The Abbey Pub after Bar Rescue?

The Abbey Pub had operated on West Grace Street in Chicago for twenty-four years by the time Bar Rescue's crew arrived, having been opened by Irish immigrant Tom Looney and later run for fifteen years by his son Pat. As of September 2026, chicagoabbey.com reports The Abbey Pub changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

What is The Abbey Pub called now?

Now: Chicago Abbey (formerly The Abbey Pub). As of September 2026, chicagoabbey.com reports The Abbey Pub changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

Where is The Abbey Pub located?

3420 W Grace St, Chicago, IL 60618. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured The Abbey Pub?

Season 1, Episode 3 of Bar Rescue, first aired July 31, 2011. The episode is titled “Shabby Abbey”.

Who owns The Abbey Pub now?

As of September 2026, chicagoabbey.com reports The Abbey Pub changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed. We name individual owners only where a source we cite names them.

Did the makeover last at The Abbey Pub?

The episode first aired July 31, 2011. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 15 years later —: As of September 2026, chicagoabbey.com reports The Abbey Pub changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

Is The Abbey Pub still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

The rescue brought in a whiskey expert to assess overpouring and drink-recipe consistency, and a chef to overhaul a menu that needed trimming and updated food-safety practices in the kitchen. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
3420 W Grace St, Chicago, IL 60618
Venue type
bar
Official website
chicagoabbey.com

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