Why a sports bar on Restaurant Row? We loved Randolph Street’s close proximity to the Loop, United Center, and the Cell. There’s nothing like it in the area. And with Williams’s connections, it will be a regular hangout for athletes, like Charles Barkley, who is one of Williams’s best friends.

Tell me about the space. We have a 4,000-square-foot rooftop deck, a sidewalk café, and a beer garden. On the roof, there will be a 25-foot-wide waterfall and about eight bungalows for seating. And we’ll have a private elevator taking you to each floor, and about 25 plasma TVs indoors and out.

Sounds like a tremendous outdoor space. How will you survive in the winter? We’ll [run] a pizza-delivery service to the Loop, Gold Coast, Bucktown, and Wicker Park until 4 a.m., as well as upscale bar food year-round.

Is the trend moving away from restaurant-lounge hybrids? People are more into spending $50 to $60 on drinks and $20 on food when they go out. Our drinks will be cheap: Ketel One and soda for $5. We’re catering to the Everyman.

Photography: Chris Guillen