Kevin Brown, longtime CEO of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, put his Kenilworth home of nearly 30 years up for sale.
Brown is asking just under $3 million for the five-bedroom house built in 1904 on Abbotsford Road. Brown and his wife, Kristi, bought the house in March 1993 for $745,000, according to the Cook County clerk. Kristi Brown died in 2019.
According to an online bio, Kevin Brown went to work at Lettuce founder Rich Melman’s first restaurant R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park in 1977, became president of Lettuce in 2000, and added the CEO title in 2003. The company now has 130 restaurants in a dozen states, including RPM Steak, Shaw’s Crab House, Three Dots & a Dash, Wildfire and others around Chicago. Lettuce reportedly has annual revenue of over $300 million.
Brown did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did the agent representing the home, Jacquelynn Gordon of Compass.
The house on Abbotsford Road is a handsome traditional design, with a large wraparound porch, formal rooms appointed with stylish finishes and a gracious staircase in its 5,700 square feet. The lot, about two-fifths of an acre, also has a three-car garage with a one-bedroom apartment above.
Listing photos show a wood-paneled office, beamed ceilings in a few rooms, a contemporary kitchen with a fireplace and abundant cabinets, a primary bedroom suite whose bathroom has a fireplace, and a basement wine room. The entire house appears to have been updated during the Browns’ tenure, although the listing doesn’t mention specifics.
The site is core Kenilworth, with the Joseph Sears elementary school, New Trier high school and the town’s beach all within a few blocks’ walk.
Staying current is easy with Crain's news delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge. Click below to see everything we have to offer.
Get the best business coverage in Chicago, from breaking news to razor-sharp analysis, in print and online.
130 E. Randolph St.
Suite 3200
Chicago, IL 60601
E-mail our editor
1-877-812-1590
Contact Us/Help Center