Lolo's Bowls is bringing its soft-serve açaí bowls to downtown Evanston, with the family-run chain targeting a first-week-of-November opening for its fourth café at 523 Davis St. The new shop would mark the brand's furthest expansion yet from its Libertyville roots, landing it just blocks from Northwestern University in one of the north suburbs' busiest commercial strips.
According to Evanston RoundTable, Lolo's Bowls signed the lease for its downtown Evanston space in June, and the company plans to open there during the first week of November. The location would be the fourth for Lolo's Bowls, which was founded by Lauren “Lolo” Schick and her mother, Darlene “Dolly” Schick, and has since expanded beyond its original Libertyville storefront into Lake Zurich and Glenview.
Notably, the Evanston address represents a change from earlier plans. Evanston Now had reported that Lolo's Bowls was seeking to set up shop at 1503 Chicago Ave., with Schick projecting an opening by late summer or early fall once the lease was finalized. The 523 Davis St. address and first-week-of-November timeline differ from that earlier proposal.
A Family Friend Takes the Reins
Running the day-to-day at the Evanston café will fall to Kristen Beaudoin, described as a longtime Evanston resident and family friend of the Schicks, per the same Evanston RoundTable report. As WhatNow has reported, Lauren Schick said she hopes to debut the location in early November, and that she and the Lolo's Bowls team plan to showcase more of the Evanston space on social media as the opening approaches.
The business describes itself on its Facebook page as serving Illinois' best açaí bowls and smoothies. Its menu centers on a soft-serve açaí base topped with fruit and toppings, according to the Daily Herald, including a Cali Bowl built with blueberries, pineapple, granola, cashews, and coconut oil. The original Libertyville shop, at 854 S. Milwaukee Ave., opened on October 23, 2019, after the Daily Herald reports the space was subdivided to accommodate it.
Small-Business Roots, Big Appetite for Growth
With Evanston set to become its fourth location, the company has said it intends to remain an independent small business rather than convert to a franchise model, the Daily Herald reports. That approach has not stopped Lolo's Bowls from building some unusual ties along the way. Per Evanston RoundTable, the chain already has a relationship with the Chicago Bears through its Libertyville locations near Halas Hall, and Lauren Schick told the Daily Herald that it was arranged for Lolo's to cater on Wednesdays before Bears home games.
The Evanston storefront will sit near the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Joy Yee Noodle, with Todoroki Hibachi and Sushi and Pizzeria DeVille Evanston both located across the street, according to WhatNow. It won't be the only açaí game in town, either — Evanston Now notes that Deep Purpl Acai, another açaí bowl restaurant, sits about two blocks from the site Lolo's Bowls had earlier proposed at 1503 Chicago Ave.
For now, Evanston residents will have to wait for a firm grand-opening date beyond the general first-week-of-November target reported by Evanston RoundTable. Lauren Schick and the Lolo's Bowls team have said they plan to share more glimpses of the build-out on social media in the lead-up to opening day.
