FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chicago Restaurant Review welcomes Kings on Canal in Lemont, Illinois, as its first restaurant customer, marking an important milestone for the newly launched restaurant-focused publication.
ST. LOUIS, MO – August 26, 2026 (STL.News) — St. Louis Media, LLC announced that its newly launched publication, Chicago Restaurant Review, has signed its first restaurant customer, Kings on Canal, a sports bar and grill located at 316 Canal Street in historic downtown Lemont, Illinois.
The milestone comes shortly after St. Louis Media launched Chicago Restaurant Review as a digital publication focused on restaurants, restaurant news, reviews, local dining information, and marketing services across the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
Kings on Canal becomes the publication’s first restaurant customer and represents the type of independently operated establishment Chicago Restaurant Review was created to support.
“Launching a new publication is exciting, but signing the first customer is what begins turning the concept into an operating business,” said Martin Smith, founder of St. Louis Media, LLC. “Kings on Canal gives Chicago Restaurant Review an opportunity to demonstrate how our publishing network can help independent restaurants build their online presence and reach more potential customers.”
Kings on Canal joins the growing media network.
Kings on Canal is located at 316 Canal Street, Lemont, Illinois 60439, in the community’s historic downtown district. The restaurant describes itself as a sports bar where “the Game meets the Grub” and has installed 20 televisions throughout the establishment, giving customers extensive sports-viewing options.
The restaurant occupies the former Digs on Canal location and combines a neighborhood sports-bar atmosphere with an expanded food-and-beverage program.
Its current menu includes Wisconsin cheese curds, Chicago egg rolls filled with Italian beef, mozzarella, giardiniera and peppers, a game-day soft pretzel, burgers, sandwiches, salads and other sports-bar favorites. The beverage menu includes beer, cocktails, martinis and classic mixed drinks.
The restaurant’s location in downtown Lemont also gives Chicago Restaurant Review an opportunity to build coverage beyond Chicago’s city limits and into the surrounding suburban communities that make up the broader Chicago dining market.
Chicago Restaurant Review enters its next phase.
St. Louis Media announced the launch of Chicago Restaurant Review earlier in August as part of an expansion of its restaurant publishing and digital marketing operations. The publication combines restaurant journalism with business directory services, restaurant marketing, and online ordering resources.
Adding Kings on Canal as its first customer moves the project from launch to active restaurant representation.
Chicago Restaurant Review is designed to give restaurants an additional independent digital presence, rather than relying exclusively on social media platforms, large restaurant directories, or third-party delivery marketplaces.
The strategy focuses on creating individual restaurant content that stays searchable on the web while giving consumers useful information about restaurants, menus, locations, and local dining developments.
For independent restaurant owners, maintaining that digital visibility has become increasingly important as consumers use multiple channels to decide where to eat. Search engines, maps, restaurant websites, social media, reviews and local publications can all influence the customer discovery process.
Chicago Restaurant Review intends to become another part of that ecosystem.
Building around independent restaurants
The publication will focus on independently owned restaurants and other locally significant dining establishments throughout Chicago and its surrounding communities.
Rather than functioning solely as a restaurant review website, Chicago Restaurant Review is being developed as a broader restaurant media platform.
Content may include restaurant profiles, openings, closings, ownership changes, menu developments, chef features, local restaurant industry news and other information relevant to Chicago-area diners and hospitality businesses.
Restaurant customers can also benefit from the larger publishing infrastructure operated by St. Louis Media.
The company has spent years developing a network of digital publications covering news, restaurants, businesses and local communities. Chicago Restaurant Review expands that model into one of the country’s largest and most competitive restaurant markets.
The first customer relationship with Kings on Canal provides a foundation for the publication to begin expanding restaurant partnerships throughout the region.
Kings on Canal represents the local focus.
Kings on Canal reflects the type of establishment Chicago Restaurant Review plans to highlight as it develops its audience.
Located in downtown Lemont, the restaurant positions itself as a community-oriented sports bar and dining destination. Its official website emphasizes sports viewing, food, and a neighborhood atmosphere, with 20 televisions available for customers who want to watch games.
Its downtown location also places the restaurant within Lemont’s established commercial district.
Kings on Canal’s participation demonstrates that Chicago Restaurant Review’s geographic coverage will not be limited to restaurants within Chicago city limits. The publication plans to cover the broader metropolitan restaurant community, including suburban markets where independently operated restaurants play an important role in local economies.
Supporting restaurants with owned digital visibility
One objective of Chicago Restaurant Review is to help restaurant owners build a broader digital footprint.
Social media can provide immediate exposure, but posts can disappear quickly from consumer feeds. Restaurant profiles, news stories and other published website content can provide longer-lasting visibility and give search engines additional information associated with a restaurant’s name, location and services.
Chicago Restaurant Review plans to combine timely restaurant reporting with evergreen restaurant information so readers can discover establishments through both news and local dining searches.
The publication is also intended to complement restaurants’ own websites rather than replace them.
Kings on Canal maintains its own website with information about its menu, location, and operating hours. Customers can visit the restaurant at 316 Canal Street in Lemont or find current restaurant information on its website.
A milestone for Chicago Restaurant Review
Signing a first customer represents an important early milestone for any new publication or business.
For Chicago Restaurant Review, the Kings on Canal relationship offers an opportunity to demonstrate its restaurant-focused publishing model in an active marketplace.
St. Louis Media plans to continue adding Chicago-area restaurant content while developing relationships with independent restaurant owners across the metropolitan region.
The long-term objective is to build Chicago Restaurant Review into a useful resource for both consumers and restaurant operators—giving diners another place to discover local establishments while giving restaurant owners more opportunities to tell their stories and strengthen their online presence.
Chicago Restaurant Review’s launch also expands the geographic footprint of St. Louis Media’s restaurant publishing operations beyond the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The addition of Kings on Canal marks the beginning of that expansion at the customer level.
“We believe independent restaurants deserve affordable ways to tell their stories and compete online,” Smith said. “Kings on Canal is our first customer for Chicago Restaurant Review, and we look forward to building from here.”
About Kings on Canal
Kings on Canal is a sports bar and grill located at 316 Canal Street in historic downtown Lemont, Illinois. The restaurant features 20 televisions for sports viewing and offers a menu of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and other tavern-style selections along with beer and cocktails.
Kings on Canal
316 Canal Street
Lemont, Illinois 60439
Phone: 331-757-5253
Website: Kings on Canal
About Chicago Restaurant Review
Chicago Restaurant Review is a digital restaurant publication launched by St. Louis Media, LLC to cover restaurants and the hospitality industry throughout Chicago and surrounding communities. The publication provides restaurant news, profiles, reviews, directory visibility, marketing opportunities, and digital services for independent restaurant operators.
The publication is part of the expanding St. Louis Media digital publishing network.
About St. Louis Media, LLC
St. Louis Media, LLC is a digital publishing and media company operating a network of news, restaurant and business-focused websites. Its publishing strategy combines original and curated news coverage, restaurant and business information, digital marketing services and online publishing resources designed to connect businesses with consumers.
The company publishes STLNews and other specialized digital properties serving local, regional, and national audiences.
Media Contact
St. Louis Media, LLC
Publisher of Chicago Restaurant Review
St. Louis, Missouri
Email: Marty@STLMedia.Agency
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