Tavern on Rush: A Gold Coast Legend, Rewired
Fully managed UniFi PoE, four-wave Wi-Fi, Toast POS mobility, and a 1.2mm Liantronics DVLED wall that pays for itself.
At a Glance
| Client | Tavern on Rush | Stefani Restaurant Group |
| Location | 1015 N Rush Street, Chicago, IL (Thompson Chicago Hotel) |
| Concept | Upscale Gold Coast steakhouse and bar, 16,000 sq ft, two floors plus outdoor cafe |
| Go-Live | September 30, 2024 dinner service — full network cutover October 2024 |
| Scope | Managed UniFi PoE network, four-wave Wi-Fi, Cloud PBX, 18.6 ft Liantronics DVLED wall |
| Outcome | DVLED wall paid for itself in 9 months; +24% avg. margin per private event |
The Challenge
Reopening one of Chicago's most storied restaurants — directly across the street from its original address — left zero margin for error in every system inside the building. Ownership needed a hospitality technology platform that could keep pace with a Toast POS operation running wireless handhelds through every seat, including the busy outdoor cafe on Rush Street, while giving the Tavern a differentiator no other Gold Coast venue could match.
Three problems converged at once: uncompromising network reliability with zero tolerance for dropped orders during service; four-wave Wi-Fi coverage across two floors of steel and masonry plus a sidewalk patio; and a signature visual centerpiece that could double as art during standard service, live entertainment during marquee sporting events, and premium signage for private buyouts.
What We Did
01 — Fully Managed UniFi PoE
Every port, access point, and camera runs on Power-over-Ethernet from redundant UniFi switches under our UniFi360 managed service — with dedicated LAN, guest Wi-Fi, staff Wi-Fi, POS, camera, and back-of-house VLANs, all proactively monitored with zero recurring software licensing.
02 — Four-Wave Wi-Fi Engineered to Toast
Following a site-specific RF survey, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E access points deliver overlapping four-wave coverage across dining, bar, event rooms, and the outdoor cafe. Two SSIDs — a POS network designed to PCI DSS requirements and a guest network — were tuned so a server carrying a check from a corner booth to the sidewalk keeps the session alive.
03 — Voice & Connectivity
Primary business-class internet with a diverse-path secondary carrier terminates through an SD-WAN edge, keeping POS and reservations online through any single-carrier outage. Cloud PBX runs dedicated extensions for host, management, kitchen, private events, and back office.
04 — The 18.6-ft Liantronics DVLED Wall
A 1.2mm pixel-pitch, 600-nit, 3840Hz-refresh direct-view LED wall serves three modes on one canvas: curated dynamic digital art during standard service, broadcast-grade sports and live events, and a contracted private-event canvas priced directly into event packages.
Nine-month full cost recovery. +24% margin lift per private event.
The DVLED wall recovered the full cost of the display system — panels, controllers, structure, and installation — inside its first nine months. Contracted use during private events now generates an average 24% additional margin per booking, turning a signature amenity into a stand-alone profit center.
Outcomes After Year One
- 100% uptime on the Toast POS network at go-live, across both floors and the outdoor cafe
- Four-wave Wi-Fi (2.4/5 low/5 high/6 GHz) roams cleanly from dining room to sidewalk cafe with zero dropped sessions
- Zero recurring software licensing on the managed UniFi network — a hallmark of the NexusCT model
- 18.6-ft Liantronics 1.2mm DVLED wall recovered its full deployment cost in 9 months
- +24% average margin lift on every private event booked around the display
- The DVLED wall has become a proven differentiator in the private-events pipeline, driving inbound booking requests
Ready to build a differentiator like this into your venue?
Our engineers respond within one business day with a custom scope — no obligation.
Call 847-443-9900 · 1171 Tower Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173 · Request consult
