Former Feed Restaurant Eyed By New Hospitality Group After Ex-Warlord Chef Fallout

HUMBOLDT PARK — The intended site of the Warlord team’s now-abandoned burger concept could still be revived as a restaurant after getting new interest by a separate hospitality team.

The former Feed restaurant at 2803 W. Chicago Ave. returned to the market last month after former Warlord restaurant owner Trevor Fleming, who had wanted to open a new concept in the space, officially pulled out of the lease due to public pressure, said building realtor Allan Perales of KAIN Real Estate.

Perales, who specializes in restaurant leasing, showcased the half-finished space in an Instagram video last month, which got the attention of a local restaurant group, he said.

“I found someone who is beloved in my chef network [and] who will do the space justice,” Perales said.

The 1,100-square-foot space is going for $2,700 a month and is “over 50 percent finished from the Lords buildout” with a new hearth and kitchen, he said. It still needs updated bathrooms, wall and floor work. The back of house and the patio also needs to be cleaned up, he said.

Feed, a diner known for its whole rotisserie chickens and comfort-food aura, closed after two decades last summer.

The owner of the prospective concept lives in the neighborhood and operates three other restaurants in the city, making him a good fit for the space that’s better than Lords, Perales said.

The new tenant would take over the lease started by Fleming, Perales said. He declined to say who the potential operator is, citing privacy and the unfinished nature of the deal.

A city business license was never filed for Lords, though an LLC business entity filed with the state for the proposed business is still active, according to the Illinois Secretary of State database.

Warlord’s owners scrapped the proposed Lords venture in February amid community pressure following felony criminal charges that accused Fleming of sharing a sexual photo of a woman he dated without her consent. Block Club also reported at the time on additional abuse allegations levied against Fleming by other women and former Warlord employees.

A former Warlord employee also spoke out against Fleming in April, telling Block Club the chef sexually assaulted her in 2024.

Warlord co-owners Emily Kraszyk and John Lupton publicly broke ranks with Fleming after news about his criminal charges in January. They later said that Lords was Fleming’s project and that they would never work with him in any capacity moving forward.

Like others in the neighborhood and in the restaurant industry, Perales did not want Lords to open in the storefront after learning about the abuse and sexual misconduct allegations surrounding Fleming and Warlord, he said.

“I wanted to get someone else in the space” with a better reputation and community ties who could take over the lease, he said.

Perales said Fleming started a lease on the storefront last November, before he was charged with the felony and before much of the public pressure and news reports began to circulate. During that time, he put money into the space, outfitting it with a new hood, hearth and open kitchen, brick and wall work, according to the Instagram video and Perales.

Fleming was removed from Warlord in February and his former business partners are suing him for reputational and monetary damages.

While he is still legally part of the business and business license, Kraszyk and Lupton are demanding a trial to rule on financial damages they can receive from Fleming. They are also seeking a judicial order to officially remove him from the business and a permanent injunction barring him from interfering with company operations or showing up at the restaurant.

Both the civil lawsuit and criminal charges are still pending against Fleming, per Cook County court records.

Fleming’s attorney, Robert Rascia, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Fleming, through his attorney and to Block Club, has previously denied all allegations against him.