Chicago’s Salt Shed Keeps The Good Times Rolling With Family-Friendly Elston Electric Opening March 22 

Elston Electric, a family-friendly arcade restaurant and bar, adds more bells and whistles to the Salt Shed. The latest venture from 16 On Center’s Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden, the team behind Salt Shed and other prominent Chicago-area venues, brings the entertainment venue to full capacity three years after opening.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that in just three short years, the Salt Shed would reach 100 percent occupancy – a full-on complex of fun under one big roof,” said Finkelman.

Like the rest of the iconic Chicago landmark, Elston Electric is a fusion of history, hospitality and entertainment.

Perched at the corner of the Salt Shed, Elston Electric is a neon, pinball ball-popping extension of the venue’s growing ecosystem. In October 2024, the venue added the roof-top Three Top Lounge to the property’s 5,000-capacity Fairgrounds outdoor concert space on the Chicago River and a 3,600-capacity indoor performance hall in the former Morton Salt warehouse.

When it opened, the $20 million Shed featured multi-level seating and premium offerings with access to balcony opera boxes, custom bars and expedited entry. It was an ambitious leap from the smaller 16 On Center properties including Empty Bottle (400 capacity) and Thalia Hall (800) but, like the mineral it’s named for, fans have poured into the facility.

According to Pollstar data for the past 36 months, the concert hall has hosted 156 shows with an average 2,852 tickets sold and average gross of $153,409. The seasonal outdoor space held 55 shows with an average of 4,715 tickets sold and average gross of $295,860.

Sitting alongside Three Top Lounge, Goose Island Salt Shed Pub and retail shops Umbrella Vintage, Loud Pizza Records, Fret 12 and RISE, Elston Electric offers a varied menu of food and nostalgic drinks. The design was inspired by the Shed’s former life dating back to 1929 including the bar, which was fashioned from the Morton Salt factory’s boiler. For serious gamers and old-school pinball wizards the games are also a mix of current and vintage favorites including classics like Skee-Ball and Pop-A-Shot Basketball as well as immersive VR motion games like Full Motion Driving. Elston Electric has some rare offerings as well including Beastie Feastie (one of just two available for public use), the world’s largest pinball game Hercules and Tsunami Tsumo, the only playable version of the game in existence.

“With the grand opening of Elston Electric, in partnership with our good friends at Logan Arcade, you can now play your favorite arcade games at Elston Electric, grab a craft brew and burger at the Goose Island Pub, shop vintage and browse records, and sip a specialty cocktail at the newly opened, skyline-backed Three Top Lounge,” added Finkelman. “And if you didn’t know, you can also catch a concert at the award-winning Salt Shed venue.”