In this month’s “Meet Your Merchant” spotlight, we’re thrilled to introduce Kevin Hildebrand, the Chief Operating Officer of CRS Hospitality. Representing four of our iconic member establishments—Guido’s, Barrelhouse 34, Jupiter’s Downtown, and Seven Saints—Kevin and CRS Hospitality are dedicated to enriching the Champaign community by providing unique, welcoming spaces for residents and visitors to connect while still fostering a collective energy with their neighbors in the heart of Champaign. Read on to learn more about Kevin’s insights on supporting local businesses, creating unique experiences, and what’s next for CRS Hospitality as they continue to support the Champaign community.
Tell me about yourself and how you got involved with CRS Hospitality
I grew up in Wisconsin and started working in service and hospitality when I was 13 years old. After getting a business degree from Arizona State, I moved to the south suburbs of Chicago for 6 years and eventually made my way to Champaign in 2017. I started working for CRS just after COVID at the beginning of 2021, when we had 3 locations. Since then, we have been fortunate to build a great team and add some great locations to the portfolio.
How do you think the bars that CRS represents lends themselves to the vibrancy of Downtown Champaign?
I’m a big proponent of the idea that the more businesses we have downtown the better! Even if they are direct competition of ours, I think the more people we can bring downtown, the more vibrant it will be as a whole and benefit everyone. Rising tides lift all boats!
How does CRS approach supporting these local businesses to ensure they remain integral parts of the Champaign community?
Quite a few of our locations have become staples in the community over the years and we definitely want to continue the traditions they have built! The Ribeye is going on 46 years open and Jupiter’s Downtown is going on 28 years – continuing those traditions is something we definitely don’t take lightly and hope to improve on each and every day.
What strategies does CRS Hospitality employ to help these businesses stand out in Champaign’s vibrant downtown scene, especially when competing with national chains?
Our goal is to create a unique experience at all of our locations. Especially as we also compete with ourselves as well, each location has to create a different atmosphere and menu unique to itself. This can definitely be a challenge at times! I don’t view national chains as our competition most of the time. Although we are “competing” for the same customer base, the product is very different – we are able to adjust our offerings much quicker and on a location by location basis, whereas national chains don’t have that flexibility.
What is on the horizon for the businesses that CRS represents? Any exciting events coming up or is there anything that you would like to share with the community on behalf of the businesses.
Our most recent additions are Flour and Fire food truck and the event venue Carmon’s. We were excited to add those because they provide a completely different aspect than what we already offered. As far as downtown, I’m definitely excited for the new plaza renovation to open this spring. We don’t have anything big on the horizon at the moment, but that can always change quickly!
