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Bottoms Up kitchen is open again

LANSING, Ill. (December 27, 2023) – The kitchen is open.

That is the message management of Bottoms Up Bar & Grill wants its customers to know following an unsuccessful attempt to sell the longtime establishment at 1696 Thornton-Lansing Rd.

Diane Glowacki has owned Bottoms Up for 30 years, and it looked like that run was coming to an end.

“After six months, the deal fell apart,” Glowacki said.

No deal

In addition to Bottoms Up, Glowacki also owns White Rhino Bar & Grill in Dyer and Lucky Rhino Video Gaming in Lynwood with her son, Ryan.

The pair plans to open another White Rhino location in Crown Point in mid-2024.

Glowacki said the reason she tried to sell Bottoms Up was to reduce her work hours.

“I’ve been working a lot my whole life,” Glowacki said. “I used to work 75 hours a week here, and I was hoping to cut back to 30 at some point.”

It looks like that plan will have to be put on the back burner for now, as the business is not currently listed for sale.

Glowacki said it had been listed for two years, and another deal had also fallen through when the other party couldn’t obtain a loan.

Sharing staff

As a fallout of the recent failed sale, Bottoms Up lost its kitchen staff.

That caused the kitchen to be closed for about a two-month period from the end of August to mid-October.

Glowacki solved that staffing problem by bringing workers over from White Rhino.

One now works full-time at Bottoms Up and two go back and forth between the two locations.

“The bar never closed down,” said Gayle Pischner, who manages Bottoms Up and is Glowacki’s niece. “The bar was always open.”

Manager Gayle Pischner (left) and Owner Diane Glowacki are working to return Bottoms Up to normal, including re-opening the kitchen and making customer favorites available. (Photo: Paul Czapkowicz)

And now the kitchen is, too, daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The original comfort food

“Same original recipes we’ve had for 30 years,” Glowacki said.

She said lake perch, walleye and shrimp are the most popular items ordered, although their pizza is also a favorite.

“We have great burgers,” Glowacki said. “Half-pound burgers. Our salads are super fresh.”

kitchen
The Bottoms Up kitchen makes fresh salads available as a meal or a side. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma)

A full kids menu and homemade soups are among the other offerings.

kitchen
Homemade soups like the spinach-artichoke soup (left) and the meatball tomato rosmarino are popular choices. (Photos: Melanie Jongsma and Josh Bootsma)

“We just want to let everybody know we’re still here,” Pischner said. “We have the same menu. We have the same food.”

And it looks like things will stay that way for a while.

Adjustments over time

“We’re going to do a little bit of remodeling and freshen things up a bit,” Glowacki said.

The bar at Bottoms Up is open until 11 p.m. on weekdays and until 3 a.m. on weekends.

The bar at Bottoms Up is open until 11 p.m. on weekdays and until 3 a.m. on weekends. (Photo: Paul Czapkowicz)

But Glowacki has noticed people don’t go out like they did in the past.

“Until COVID, I was open until 4 a.m. every day of the week,” Glowacki said.

She said there are people who met at Bottoms UP that got married, and now their children go there.

“Lansing’s been a great place for us,” Glowacki said. “It’s been a wonderful 30 years.”

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Paul Czapkowicz
Paul Czapkowicz
Paul Czapkowicz has served as a correspondent for the Northwest Indiana Times, so he is familiar with local politics, local business, and local goings-on in general. His training as a teacher gives him an innate sense of how to present facts in an organized and meaningful way, so readers gain understanding of complex subjects.

1 COMMENT

  1. Had lunch at Bottoms Up yesterday, seeing they were open. As usual the food was great. They have always been a favorite of mine for lunches. Good article on a long time restaurant and generous donator of Lansing.

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