Owner says Urbana dueling-piano bar staying silent
By Don Dodson
Wednesday July 1, 2009
Robert K. O'Daniell
Doug Larson, the owner of 88 Broadway, a dueling-piano bar at Lincoln Square Village in Urbana, closed the business following Monday's dinner performances.
URBANA – Monday marked the swan song for 88 Broadway.
The dueling-piano bar at Urbana's Lincoln Square Village closed following dinner and performances that night.
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Comments
I was really excited when I heard that CU was getting an "upscale" piano bar. Then I went to the mall after 88 Broadway opened and looked in the restaurant only to find that the pianos were not even real pianos, just electric keyboards on stands made to look like pianos. Plus, they had multiple big screen TVs (TVs in a upscale piano bar?!) and the whole restaurant opened up into the mall - who wants to eat IN a mall!? There was no privacy. The whole thing was a let down - I never ate there....
Posted by on July 1, 2009 at 10:09 AM Suggest Removal
Every time I went to the mall it the piano bar looked like it was closed. That "mall" if you want to call it that, died when Herbergers moved out. Sad!
Posted by on July 1, 2009 at 11:37 AM Suggest Removal
No surprise here: that place stunk! Bad fondue, too loud, and high prices. The service was okay, until a busload of jerks with spiked hair, striped shirts and tight artificial vintage t-shirts from the Joe's trolley would roll in. The piano guys were hit and miss and their policy of not serving their full menu when their piano players were performing was ridiculous. A stinking fish of a restaurant like 88 Broadway was no way to revive Lincoln Square.
Posted by on July 1, 2009 at 12:46 PM Suggest Removal
I loved it! It was a place to go. You could enjoy, kick back, laugh, have some appetizers with friends, and listen to fun music. VERY sad it closed.
Everyone was always friendly, and always had a good time.
Posted by on July 1, 2009 at 4:43 PM Suggest Removal
Told you the homeless guy would outlast that bar. They deserve it.
Posted by aoccc on July 1, 2009 at 5:27 PM Suggest Removal
I don't see how any business closing in Champaign or Urbana is a good thing. If you don't like a place, don't go there. However, it is definitely not a reason to be boistrous or celebratory.
Posted by on July 1, 2009 at 10:56 PM Suggest Removal
