WRIGLEYVILLE — Sluggers Bar is replacing its iconic neon sign after more than 30 years, but the new one is getting mixed reviews for a grammar error and its penis-like shape.
Perhaps the new sign does resemble the male anatomy, but that’s not why the baseball-bat-shaped LED sign was delivered to the bar this week before being sent back for a quick edit. Round Led Panel
There’s just a misplaced apostrophe in “dueling piano’s” that needs to be adjusted before the new sign can be installed, said Zach Strauss, who runs Sluggers World Class Sports Bar and Grill, 3540 N. Clark St., with his two brothers.
The new sign will be installed in the next few weeks, just in time for opening day at Wrigley Field, Strauss said.
“I mean, who cares what people say. It’s a sports bar, not a hospital,” Strauss said. “This isn’t life or death. I know everyone’s saying it looks like a penis, but it’s only jokes, probably mostly from people who come to Sluggers.”
A celebration will be held to unveil the sign, and drinks will cost what they did in 1985, when Strauss’ father founded the bar, the co-owner said. In the decades since, Sluggers has become well-known for its dueling piano shows, batting cages and lively atmosphere.
The current sign, which has already been removed, is rusted and constantly flickering, and it shorted out every time it rained, Strauss said. It’s not as easy to find neon gas to refurbish it anymore, so the brothers decided it was time to replace it. The new one is made by Omega Signs & Lighting Inc.
The new sign — photographed upon delivery by passersby — went viral on social media Wednesday as people discussed its phallic shape and mourned the loss of the familiar green-and-yellow marquee.
The Strauss brothers are taking the jokes in stride.
“Most people don’t even realize that the old sign wasn’t the original one, either,” David Strauss said. “We got rid of the first before there was the internet, so there was nowhere for people to carry on about what it looks like. By the time we change it again, everyone who’s crying about it now will have kids coming here who only know the new sign.”
But Zach and David Strauss said they empathize with people’s disappointment — change can be hard.
The iconic sign at Sluggers on Clark Street in Wrigleyville is coming down and being replaced by a new one. I asked a worker where the old one is going. He didn’t know. I said the Chicago History Museum would be a cool destination. He agreed. ⚾️ 🍻 pic.twitter.com/ZdCuVuwyuT
Their family tries their best to keep the classic, nostalgic energy of Sluggers alive, even as they make small updates to its building, including a new, taller fence around the patio for the upcoming summer season. The interior has hardly changed since 1985.
“It’s what’s on the inside that’s important, not the outside,” David Strauss said. “The people who come here have the same attitude and mindset they’ve always had.”
Zach Strauss remembers going with his dad to pick out the famous Sluggers sign more than three decades ago, when the original sign gave out. The family doesn’t know what they’ll do with the old sign yet, but it definitely won’t be thrown away, Zach Strauss said.
“We’re really proud of this place, and I think my dad would be, too,” Zach Strauss said. “We’ve got three generations of customers now, and we’re gonna keep it going.”
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