For Packers Fans, Will's Northwoods Inn is a Northwoods Oasis in Chicago
By Staff in Food on Dec 22, 2011 8:30PM
Image via Will's Northwoods Inn's facebook Page.
Will’s has three rooms inside, all adorned wall-to-wall with Packers and Wisconsin Badgers pictures and memorabilia, deer antlers, old beer signs, and rustic photographs. It’s an oasis that feels as though you have teleported directly to the rural Northwoods as opposed, to at a bar in a major urban center.
Will’s exterior features an expansive patio with two large televisions, about 10 tables, a large moose statue (ridden by an inflatable Bucky the Badger during Wisconsin games), and a beautiful Leinenkugel’s mural. During the winter, they have a heated tent set up to give fans a little bit more breathing room and provide an easy in and out for smokers. It’s the type of bar where you can go alone and make lasting friendships with strangers before you leave; the staff and patrons are the embodiment of Wisconsin-nice.
“What we like to do is make a connection with the customers and make them feel comfortable and taken care of. There’s a choice,” manager Kevin Kruse regularly stresses to his staff to the extent that it has become second nature. “There’s something like 3,293 bars in Chicago. I want to make the choice as easy as possible to come here--we’re going to have the same beer, liquor, and TVs available. The thing that I want to set us apart is how comfortable someone feels here.”
During halftime of Packers and Badgers football games, Kruse emcees a raffle where fans can win prizes ranging from novelty t-shirts, to a foam cheese bra, to the highly coveted game bib overalls. Will’s has especially differentiated itself over the past couple of years in the social media realm. Regular patron Greg Stewart manages the bar’s Facebook page, Twitter feed, and other promotions as a labor of love.
Will’s currently has over 1,700 ‘likes,’ 1,800 friends, and 700 followers, posting several times daily about Wisconsin sports news and links from all other corners of the internet that might interest customers of the bar. “We had a Facebook page before [Greg took over about two years ago] but it was nowhere near as complete and well-run as it is now,” Kruse says admiringly.
“I’m a Badger by heart and I was trying to develop the idea of a virtual bartender who is a Badger and Packer fan,” Stewart says.
What is his favorite part of Will’s? “It’s the actual fan camaraderie and watching relationships between folks that go over there. I have friends that made friends that made other friends. It’s one big community, a very big an open environment where we can go without being looked at strangely as Badger and Packer fans outside of Wisconsin,” Stewart smiles. “Here we are in the belly of the Bears den and we’ve created a home where people can love their favorite team and you see friendships develop around that.”
Stewart diligently sends out event invitations for Badgers basketball and football games, Packers games, and other miscellaneous events like Musky Fest, a street festival that Will’s has hosted in September for the past 20 years. Friends of Will’s Northwoods Inn are wished happy birthday on Facebook by the bar, a personal touch that does not go unnoticed.
He also designed the 32-ounce, dishwasher-safe Gameday stadium cups (pictured above), which are 32 ounces, dishwasher-safe, and display a Will’s logo along with a clear print of Lambeau Field. On game days, these cups are $7 for the first round and $5 for refills of Leinenkugel’s Original or Miller Lite. Will’s also runs a grill special where cheeseburgers and bratwursts are $2 and hot dogs are $1. If you are in the mood for a special Wisconsin delicacy, head to Will’s a little bit early and order a basket of deep fried cheese curds.
Aaron Nagler, a widely read Packers blogger at Cheesehead TV, adds, “Will's Northwoods is simply a can't-miss for any Packers fan unfortunate enough to find themselves in Bears country. Go there before the game, go there after the game - and if you don't have a ticket, go there during the game. Most importantly - go there."
This season, Will’s became an official Blackhawks bar; it is also a strong supporter of the Bulls and Cubs. The bar will be open at 5 p.m. on Christmas day, showing Bulls-Lakers and, of course, Bears-Packers.
Will's Northwoods Inn is located at 3030 N. Racine Ave.
— Ryan Glasspiegel is a local freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter at @RGSpiegel and find more of his work at SportsRapport.com.