Half Baked Bar closes at North Towne Plaza in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app

ROCKFORD — Half Baked Bar — a restaurant, arcade bar and nightlife venue on the city’s northwest side — has closed after nearly two years in business.

The restaurant at 908 W. Riverside Blvd. in North Towne Plaza had specialized in stone-oven baked pizzas, wings and offered a variety of hemp-derived THC-infused products. It also had live music, DJs and other nightlife events. The interior was decorated with several murals created by local artists.

Erik Carlson, who owns the business with Billy Ni and John Murray, said it was difficult for the business to get the traction it needed to be successful. Their focus and their employees have shifted to their other business, District Bar & Grill at 205 W. State St., in downtown.

“We appreciate all of our customers and hope they continue to see us at District,” Carlson said.

The closing comes as the business faced a hearing before the city’s Liquor Control Commission over whether Half Baked’s liquor license should be revoked. The hearing was slated for 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11.

Carlson said the timing of the closure and the hearing was coincidental.

“That popped in around the same time but wasn’t really influential in our decision,” Carlson said.

The city has alleged that the venue was operating longer than its approved hours of operation, and that it allowed disorderly activities while failing to report a large fight to police.

The city’s complaint claims that on July 26 police saw an online video that showed Half Baked security officers provoke patrons and instigate a large fight in the parking lot. The fight was never reported to police.

“The licensed establishment has also been the subject of calls for service large fights, shots fired, and disorderly crowds on the following dates: May 11, June 21, June 22, June 29 and July 5 of this year,” the city legal department’s complaint reads.

Carlson said the calls were largely for situations where people had been turned away from Half Baked, but remained in the parking lot outside.

“They were concerned about the number of calls to the area, but those calls to the area weren’t for problems with our bar,” Carlson said. “We had an unfortunate series of incidents over the weekends where if people weren’t allowed into the bar they decided to set up camp in the parking lot. …

“We can’t let them into the bar, but we don’t have the ability to kick them out of the parking lot. That was kind of an unfortunate side effect of having a liquor store nearby.”

District Bar & Grill will continue to operate as normal after making repairs to its front windows following a drive-by shooting late Tuesday night.

“Several of our staff and patrons were inside the building at the time. Thankfully, no one was physically injured, but the emotional toll of such an event is significant,” Ni wrote on Facebook.

Ni’s post asked for support for the staff, and he said they were fully cooperating with police.

“District Bar & Grill has proudly been part of the Rockford River District for years, and our commitment to this community remains strong,” he wrote. “We will continue to be a safe and welcoming space for Rockford and the downtown community.”

Update: Police announced an arrest in the shooting Thursday afternoon. Avery Jones, 26, was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, felony criminal damage to property, and other charges. Police said he had been kicked out of the bar shortly before the incident.

The owners of District and Half Baked also previously owned Onyx in Machesney Park, which was sold and is now The Parks: Cimino’s Kitchen.

The 6,075-square-foot home of Half Baked Bar was previously Stockyard Rock Burger Bar, which opened in spring 2018 and ran until the owners converted it into the Half Baked concept in partnership with Buckbee Weed Co. in Decemeber 2023. Before Stockyard, it was Boomer’s for about five years ending in September 2017.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas