Last spring, Gamekeeper’s Taverne closed its doors after 40 years in business. Today, we learned who will be the new stewards of that iconic Chagrin Falls property.

“We signed a lease on Gamekeeper’s Taverne and can now go forward,” says Joe Saccone of Hyde Park Restaurant Group. “We’re really just getting our hands around it now.”

In addition to nearly a dozen Hyde Park Prime Steakhouses scattered around the Midwest and Florida, Hyde Park Restaurant Group operates the nearby Jekyll’s Kitchen as well as ML Tavern in Moreland Hills.

Already, the building’s owners have invested in a new roof and windows, notes Saccone, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of planned improvements that he is calling “a major facelift.”

“We expect to spend a substantial amount of dollars upgrading the facility while keeping a lot of the charm of the space,” he explains.

In addition to the new interior, and major remodels of the kitchen and restrooms, Saccone hopes to extend the small bar in the front of the building out onto a front-side patio.

When it opens in late spring or early summer, the restaurant will be a new brand for the restaurant group. While still in the conceptual phase, there is a frontrunner in terms of concepts.

“The top idea for us is, we’re steakhouse guys, so it could be a chef-inspired steakhouse with a lot of European influences,” Saccone acknowledges.

There were many suitors for the prime Chagrin Falls property, but at the end of the day, it was Saccone and Hyde Park who walked away with the prize. It’s an honor and privilege he doesn’t intend to squander.

“It’s an iconic spot, the patio is fantastic, and we know what the Village has meant to Cleveland and the eastern suburbs,” Saccone says. “It was very sad to see Gamekeeper’s go. [Owner] Tom [Lutz] and I were competitors, but we both worked in the Village and tried to make the Village great. It’s an opportunity for us, and hopefully what we do will complement everybody in the Village and bring more people down there.”

This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2018.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

11 replies on “Hyde Park Restaurant Group Signs Lease on Gamekeeper’s Taverne Space in Chagrin Falls”

  1. Awful news. Jekyl’s is so terribly mediocre and lowest common denominator. Hyde Park should fix that place before ever embarking on a new venture. Only hope:Their nearby ML Tavern, while never really catching on, is so much better than Jekyk’s so they must have it in them to produce food food if they want to.

  2. While I’m sad to see Gamekeepers go after all these years, I am thrilled that Hyde Park Group will be bringing another of their fabulous restaurants to Chagrin Falls. Jekyll’s by far is one of my favorites and ML and Hyde Park are top choices for me as well.I can’t wait to see what they do with this space as they have never disappointed!

  3. I am so thrilled that Hyde Park Group has taken this location over as it is yet another great place to dine in the area. We love both ML and Jekylls and am sure this steakhouse wont disappoint. The person above should give Jekylls another try must have been an off night as i find their food & service very consistent

  4. Wow another Great addition to the Falls! Not sure what the other guy is talking about the sushi at Jekyll is amazing! Service great, have never had a bad meal there or ml tavern! All I can say is I am excited to see what they can do with Gamekeepers! As every time I would dine there I would comment that it needed to be fixed up. Cant wait to see!

  6. It was really sad to see what happened when Jekyll caught on fire. However what Hyde Park did with that space was amazing! Jekyll turned out great and we done there at least once a week during the summer.

    I can only imagine what Hyde Park will do with Gamekeepers space! Exciting. If it is anything like Jekylls or Hyde Park I am sure I will be at that location once a week as well!

  7. Very excited to see Hyde Park invest in Chagrin Falls again, definitely a great addition to this destination town!

  8. Wow, great to hear! I was wondering what would happen to the Gamekeeper’s space – it’s good to know it will be in good hands with Hyde Park. Although you can’t beat their steakhouse, Jekyll’s is definitely one of my favorites, and this sounds like it will be a nice compliment to it. Sign me up for a reservation!

  9. What a great addition to such a cute, quaint little town. Super excited to see what else Hyde Park can bring to the area!!!

  10. My “mediocre” opinion, above, on Jekyll’s is based on a few dozen visits – patio, bar dining room… over the many years it’s been open old and new (we live right up the street, a 5 minute walk, so hard to 100% avoid). The place doesn’t have an identity (steakhouse? seafood place? Sushi place? Burger place?) The food should always be better than it is… Always. Seems like fodo is out of cans and boxes not housemade (it may have changed but server told me about bottled dressings etc in years past.. Not OK in this day and age…)

    My love for ML Tavern is based on the same # of visits….. Great service. Best Caesar salad and pork chop and salmon and chicken ever.

    I can’t believe they are run by the same people. Why does none of the ML “good” rub off on Jekyll’s??

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