CUT 158's New Restaurant Will Be 4 Times Larger: Dimitroulas

JOLIET, IL — Downtown Joliet's fanciest restaurant, CUT 158 Chophouse, will be moving into the Two Rialto Square Building now owned by John Bays, restaurant owner Bill Dimitroulas informed Joliet Patch during Wednesday's interview.

Bays has been renovating the main level of his six-story building to make it into a fancy restaurant with a bar. The property consists of several professional offices, including the Joliet Chamber of Commerce across the hall. The top two floors feature 20 high-end apartments for Joliet's working professionals.

Come January, CUT 158 expects to occupy the new restaurant space at 116 North Chicago St., which is right next door to Joliet's world-famous Rialto Square Theatre.

At 158 North Chicago St., CUT 158 has 2,000 square feet of restaurant and bar space.

The new restaurant inside the Two Rialto Square property consists of 8,000 square feet and features two levels of dining.

"We're shooting for the beginning of January," Dimitroulas said of opening. "I have a passion for the downtown area of Joliet, the architecture and the scenery, and I believe this is one of the greatest parts of Joliet. There's a couple of investors who are bringing the area back up."

At Two Rialto Square, CUT 158 can also have a room for private events, Dimitroulas said.

"We're looking to employ 60 to 70 people in there between bartenders, kitchen and servers," he said. "The menu is not going to be different. The quality will remain the same."

At the new location, Dimitroulas said he's looking to expand his offerings by adding bison steaks and "all steaks will be on a wood fire grill. That will make a huge difference for the flavors."

Dimitroulas said "he will hire a whiskey bartender" to oversee the Two Rialto Square location, and CUT 158 will offer about 150 whiskeys plus a whiskey club.

A New Jersey winery will be making five wine brands exclusive to CUT 158 "with our label on it," Dimitroulas said. "So we're going to expand our whiskey program and our wine program.

"We're working to make it a place to give the most outstanding experience to our guests in terms of quality of service, quality of food and quality of drinks," he added.

CUT 158 first opened in January 2019. Before that, the property was known as the Tin Roof.

Dimitroulas said that CUT 158 aims to be known as the finest restaurant in all of Will County.

He said that CUT 158 already has a following as a regional restaurant draw at its current location, despite the limited amount of space for dining guests. CUT 158 has a strong social media presence with 3,527 Facebook followers and 3,391 Facebook likes.

"Joliet and the surrounding towns," he said. "We even get people coming out from Ottawa. We're well known. Our reputation is out there."

CUT 158 shows 193 Google Reviews, averaging 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. Some of the most recent reviews state:

• "Very nice gem in downtown Joliet. High -end fresh meats, seafood, vegetables, cocktails and craft beer. Our bartender was outstanding and hard-working tonight! Will be back!"
• "The food was incredible. Absolutely worth every penny. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed, and the staff went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time!"
• "Had a late 9pm birthday dinner here. Staff was friendly and food was delicious. Expect $50-$100 a person. We will be back!"
• "Absolutely great food, drinks and service. If you're in the area you need to stop in and try a great hidden gem!"

Just last week, Joliet Patch reported that 7 Joliet area restaurant giants formed an alliance and will hold their first meeting next Tuesday at Heroes West, working with the Joliet Chamber.

Dimitroulas is one of the seven on the new Joliet Chamber committee. Not only does he own CUT 158, he owns Hamburgerseria. Last December, he opened Rosemary Cafe at 1730 Essington Road. Earlier this year, he acquired and then reopened Juliet's Tavern, in downtown Joliet, at 205 North Chicago St., revamping the entire menu from Italian to American cuisine.

"We formed the restaurant association trying to group all the restaurants to solve problems through uniting," he said.

"Even though everyone is going through tough times in the restaurant business," Dimitroulas told Joliet Patch, "we're still very optimistic for the future, and we believe in the support of the Joliet people. We very much appreciate that."

During Wednesday's interview, Patch asked CUT 158's owner to name his most popular items on the menu.

"Tomahawk (steaks) by far," he replied. "Tomahawks and rib eyes are pretty much No. 1 selling food items, but we're doing very well with our seafood items and lobsters."

Since he acquired Juliet's Tavern in March, Dimitroulas finds himself owning and operating downtown Joliet's two premier sit-down restaurants, barely a block away from one another.

"The good thing is each restaurant has its own entity, so it's really not competing with each other, but it gives people variety in food price, environment and menu items," he said. "CUT 158 is more upscale. Juliet's is more laid back and more casual."

Dimitroulas said his core leadership team with CUT 158 will be joining him when he moves into the Two Rialto Square Building, hopefully in January.

His head chef is Jeremy Kenyon, and his general manager is Sophia Barros.

Regarding Kenyon, "he's absolutely doing an amazing job, and he's looking forward to moving into the new place," Dimitroulas said.

At the current location, CUT 158 is open from 4 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and Juliet's is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Dimitroulas said if people are interested in the many new jobs becoming available with CUT 158's expansion into the Two Rialto Square Building, prospective applicants are urged to email the arkasrestaurantgroup@gmail.com.