Lincoln Square's intimate restaurant Atelier has garnered great acclaim since its 2023. Owner Tim Lacey and James Beard Award-nominated chef Christian Hunter took over the space formerly occupied by chef Iliana Regan’s Elizabeth and were soon after awarded a Michelin star—which they maintained in 2024—for their fantastic, fine-dining take on "folk cuisine" (i.e. traditional American fare livened up with global zest, moo shu duck with shallot aioli and pickled vegetables being a delicious example.) Hunter also received the Michelin Guide Young Chef Award, and Atelier was named one of Chicago Magazine's Best New Restaurants last year.
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Given all that success, it's not a surprise that the team has plans to expand the dining concept to an even bigger restaurant space when their lease ends in July—and they need your help to do so.
"As anyone who's been into the restaurant knows, we have a tiny space," reads the announcement on the Atelier website. "It's time to find something a little bigger. Just elsewhere in Lincoln Square. To that end we're working with SMBX to crowdsource investors." As reported by Eater Chicago, Lacey and company are looking for a space with capacity for 35 seats, plus a bar.
"Unlike typical crowdsourcing outlets, this allows you to earn your money back with interest," the Atelier team adds in the call-out, which will allow prospective investors to contribute as little as ten bucks. "Whether you invest $10 or $5,000, you’ll earn 10.75% annual interest that gets paid out monthly."
They'll also be offering enticing perks to anyone who invests in the new space: $1,000 gets you dinner for two with reserve wine pairings; $5,000 earns you two VIP "season tickets" with reserve pairings (good for 5 visits each); $10,000 comes with dinner with pairings for 25 people; and so on.
The crowdfunding goal is to enable Atelier to "move to a larger space with increased visibility in order to accommodate more guests than our current 22 seat space allows for."
Along with the restaurant relocation, $70,000 of the target $500,000 maximum raise will also go towards refinancing debt. Per SMBX, as of press time, the restaurant has accrued $258,960 in investments, with three days remaining in the open investment window. Want to get into the restaurant business? Invest away!