The voters have spoken, and The Pump Room will remain The Pump Room when the Public Chicago opens in September.

To follow up on a blog I wrote a couple weeks ago, real estate developer Ian Schrager took the former Ambassador East Hotel, refurbished it and renamed it Public Chicago. He left the name of the hotel’s restaurant up to a public vote. Upon the conclusion of the voting period last week, Schrager released a video announcement revealing “The Pump Room” as the winner. Schrager stated that he “wanted to call it what the people of Chicago wanted to call it.” He went on to say, “It was a landslide.”

In separate video released, several celebrities expressed their viewpoints on the iconic restaurant. Comedian Tom Dreesen said, “The Pump Room was great in that era . . . but it needs some slight changes.” That has been the goal of Schrager. Along those lines, The Pump Room will be modeled after the ABC Kitchen of New York. It also promises to “support local purveyors, offering a ‘farm to table’ experience of simple and delicious favorites in a relaxed, comfortable environment.”

In the celebrity video, actor Jeremy Piven declared his vote for The Pump Room, stating it was a “classic.” Actress Maeve Quinlan referenced the Sears Tower name change in imploring the voters to pick Pump Room. In the end, though, I think Tim Wrightman, a member of the Super Bowl XX Champion Bears, summed it up best. Wrightman said, “It’s always going to be said when people go in there, this used to be The Pump Room.”

It looks like everyone will be happy. When the Public Chicago and The Pump Room reopen in September, it will be exciting, fresh and comfortable. Much like the Ambassador East and The Pump Room being a part of Chicago’s history, the Public Chicago and The Pump Room promise to be a big part of Chicago’s future.

— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist