New partners join original co-owner at Belleville restaurant open almost a year
Downtown Belleville restaurant and bar, Charlie’s Place, is partly under new ownership after two area businessmen bought out one of the establishment’s original investors.
Barb Swantner, who opened Charlie’s last August with an investor/silent partner, will now run the establishment with local business owners Stephen Dunn and Kevin Bouse.
Dunn said during an interview with all of the owners that he and Bouse became Swantner’s new co-owners on July 1. The investor’s original goal was to get out of the business during its first two years, he said.
Bouse, who owns rental properties and self-storage units in the area, will be in charge of building maintenance, the apartments above the restaurant and marketing for the business. Dunn will take care of the bookkeeping and oversee making continuous improvements. Swantner will continue as the operations manager at Charlie’s Place. All three now co-own the property as well as the business.
Dunn said he and Bouse are active in the community and have previously worked together on multiple projects including some through St. Teresa Catholic Church.
Both the Dunns and the Bouses have been customers at Charlie’s. Bouse’s wife, Ginny, said they used to bring their kids to Charlie’s in a previous incarnation. Like Swantner, Dunn and his wife, Vicky, live in the neighborhood near the restaurant. Buying into the neighborhood business appealed to everyone.
Under the new ownership, customers can look forward to new features and offerings at Charlie’s. The existing staff, which includes General Manager Lily Sparen and Executive Chef Joseph Taylor will remain.
“There’s such a good product here, good people,” said Dunn.
Swantner, who was new to the restaurant business when Charlie’s Place opened, said this last year’s “been a learning curve, for sure.”
“Now we have it pretty much down” after breaking in the kitchen equipment to provide shorter wait times for orders, she said.
She and Sparen agreed running a restaurant is a hard business that requires some trial-and-error.
“We keep throwing things at the wall and see what sticks,” said Sparen regarding both the operations and the menu.
“The trust is overwhelming,” Sparen said of her “individually unique” crew.
They’re a great team, motivating each other and open to learning new things, she said. They’re “creative and supportive” and are “a family here, staff and customers.”
New features and a lot of flavor
Charlie’s Place offers elevated pub fare with its everyday menu and different specials.
Sparen said she researched traditional pub fare when creating the menu. Charlie’s Place offers Poutine, the Pub Burger, Fish & Chips, the Pub Roast Dinner.
When Charlie’s opened last August, other pub-style items offered included Belleville Bangers (bangers & mash), Queen of the Hill (12-oz. Boneless ribeye) and Stew, which are not available on the current menu.
The menu has evolved, losing some items and gaining others.
The current menu offers items such as:
Meatloaf Sandwich: homemade meatloaf on a brioche bun served with fries;
Gilled Chicken: grilled chicken breast, bacon, red onion, lettuce, tomato, pickle, garlic aioli on a brioche bun, served with fries;
Steak Sandwich: Schubert’s Top Round steak marinated, sautéed and sliced with provolone, sautéed onion, horseradish cream sauce on a fresh baguette, served with fries;
Italian Grinder: Schubert’s salami and pepperoni, provolone, pepperoncini, lettuce, tomato, red onion aioli on a fresh baguette, served with fries;
Meatloaf plate: homemade meatloaf with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and green beans with bacon and onion;
Tequila Lime Chicken: marinated and sautéed, served with cilantro-lime rice and house pico.
Regarding menu specials, Ginny Bouse said they most recently served an Asian dish called chicken yakitori. Other specials this year featured Italian beef, steak chimichurri, barbecue pork chops and bratwurst on a bun, gumbo for Mardi Gras, and a corned beef plate and Guinness stew for St. Patrick’s Day.
Sparen said they try to provide different worldly cuisines while Taylor creates new dishes.
Occasional pop-up events were held for brunch, which will be a regular feature starting July 13. Every Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon, brunch will be available followed by family-style fried chicken dinners offered from noon until 8 p.m.
Other improvements already include new outdoor seating, event space availability and catering services.
“I love catering,” said Sparen, adding that they have their first catering gig at the end of the month. She said trivia night events will start again soon and take place every other Wednesday.
Two things not readily available at Charlie’s are pizza and tacos.
They’re not competing with the other downtown restaurants, most of which are on Main Street, said Kevin Bouse. They are by themselves on Mascoutah Avenue but still want to “let people know we’re right here,” he said.
“We just want to be busy and busy consistently,” he said.
“We want it to feel like home,” said Sparen.
About Charlie’s Place
Charlie’s Place is located at 200 Mascoutah Ave. in Belleville.
Swantner and an investor acquired the 19th-century building in summer 2023. The restaurant was renovated by Swantner, her sister Beth Rund and other members of the community before opening in late August 2024.
Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday. The kitchen closes at 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
For more information about Charlie’s Place, call 618-416-0763. Get the latest updates by visiting the Facebook page.