Two Thursdays each month, guests are invited to Jbar inside Chicago’s James Hotel to indulge in their vices for “Addiction Thursdays.” The first event, held Nov. 5, honored those who love Facebook. “Since Facebook in and out of the workplace has changed the way we do business and communicate socially and has created a fine line between the two, we decided to launch our Addiction Nights with the Facebook Addiction,” says Robert Rizzuto, director of food and beverage at The James Hotel.
On these evenings from 8 p.m.-2 a.m., Jbar is packed (drawing in 50 extra guests per night) and the sounds of DJ John Grammatis, who spins songs to match that evening’s addiction, which have included ugly sweaters and celebrities. Partygoers can sip on specialty “addiction” cocktails and receive offers from businesses around Chicago that emphasize the obsession.
“Our staff assists in marketing the events via viral social sites and assists in creating some of the specialty cocktails for each addiction,” Rizzuto says.
Although the events have gone well, a few changes have been made to make the evening run more smoothly, like passing the appetizers earlier.