Volare, the longtime Streeterville Italian stalwart, is spinning off a pickup-only window in the Gold Coast, a move aimed squarely at taming the crush of carryout orders. The new spot will streamline the operation to high-demand pizzas and pastas so the original dining room can zero in on full-service guests and events.
As reported by the Chicago Business Journal, the founder has signed a five-year lease for a 1,100-square-foot former Starbucks in the Gold Coast to house the pickup-only setup. According to the Business Journal, the satellite will stick to a slimmed-down menu of pizza and pasta, chosen for speed and easy assembly, which should ease the logjam of to-go orders and let the Streeterville team focus on reservations and private events.
"The original Volare restaurant at 201 E. Grand Ave. will need to find a new location in 2030," the Business Journal notes, a reminder that the flagship has a ticking clock on its longtime home. According to Volare's website, the Streeterville restaurant has been in the neighborhood since 1997 and is still taking both reservations and online orders. For now, the main dining room remains open at its East Grand address while the crew builds out the new pickup space.
Off-premises orders are reshaping kitchens
Industry research shows that off-premises business, meaning takeout, pickup and delivery, now accounts for a much larger share of restaurant traffic than it did before the pandemic. That shift is pushing operators to carve out dedicated pickup capacity. According to the National Restaurant Association's 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry report, many restaurants are pouring money into digital ordering tools and pickup infrastructure so they can handle volume and keep costs in check. In that context, a pickup-only satellite looks like a practical next step for a full-service brand sitting on heavy carryout demand.
Chicago examples show the model works
Across the Chicago area, operators have already been experimenting with pickup-first formats that try to speed things up for harried to-go customers. Hoodline previously reported on Portillo's pickup-exclusive Rosemont location as one high-profile attempt to streamline service for off-premises diners. Smaller Chicago concepts have also turned to carryout-only windows and dark kitchens to keep lines moving and protect dining room capacity. With that playbook already in use around town, Volare's decision to test a compact, pickup-only footprint in a dense neighborhood like the Gold Coast starts to look less like a gamble and more like a logical progression.
So far, there is no public opening date for the Gold Coast pickup operation, and Volare has not posted an updated schedule on its site. Customers can still order from Volare’s Streeterville dining room through Volare's website while the new location is readied.
