Austin's Fuel Room Owner Inks Deal with Fairgrounds for New Music Venue

Austin's Fuel Room in Libertyville and the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake are teaming up to establish the area's largest music and entertainment venue.

Mark Khayat, the owner of Austin's Saloon and Eatery in Libertyville, and the mastermind behind Austin's Fuel Room, has inked a deal with the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake to bring more concerts and entertainment to the area. "Here some big news for ya! Austin's Fuel Room and Lake County Fairgrounds have partnered up to create the largest indoor/outdoor, multi-entertainment facility in Lake County! AUSTINS FUEL ARENA! Stay tuned....," posted Khayat on Facebook. Khayat's company, Fuel, Inc., has a five-year contract with the fairgrounds to host musical acts on the grounds, to be marketed as Austin's Fuel Arena, reports the Daily Herald. Austin's Fuel Room, which has hosted popular acts such as Brett Michaels, Bobby Brown, Buckcherry…

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Austin’s Fuel Room Puts Libertyville on Musical Map

A well-designed venue keeps entertainers and concert-goers happy.

Though a 30-year veteran of the restaurant business, Mark Khayat, owner of Austin’s Saloon and Eatery, and Fuel Room, always has enjoyed music and larger promotions. So, after building an addition on the front of the restaurant on 481 Peterson Road, Khayat began booking events in the newly added space. “That was our first addition 10 years ago, and we started doing a lot of music with the local bands running the circuit in the Chicago area,” Khayat said. “We had a great response to it, but you always want to reach for that next level.” The next level, Khayat explains, was building a room that would accommodate small acts, national acts, corporate parties, and fundraisers. The addition, now called the Fuel Room, built in the rear of the …

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Austin’s Electronic Sign Helps Boost Sales

The outdoor electronic message board has helped increase sales by 50 percent.

The electronic sign outside Austin’s Saloon & Eatery, 481 Peterson Road, has been up for less than a year, but it is pulling its weight, according to Austin’s owner Mark Khayat. “For the first time in a long time we’ve been able to put what’s the inside of Austin’s on the outside,” Khayat said referring to the sign’s ability to promote the food aspect of the business to people who thought the venue was just for music and shows. Since the 18-foot sign was put up in April, Khayat says menu specials promoted on the electronic sign have seen increases in sales. “Some products as much as 50 percent and some products not as much,” Khayat said. “But every one of them have moved, so people do react” to the sign. The Village Board approved the 32-…

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Zumba Benefit To Help Women Battling Cancer

Studio 21 will organize its first zumba benefit at Austin's Fuel Room on Sept. 20.

When Leanne Khayat decided to attend beauty school, she knew she would be able to help clients improve their look and feel beautiful. But now she is taking it up a notch by helping host a fundraiser with fellow stylists at Studio 21 for Hello Gorgeous, a nonprofit that provides free professional makeovers and cosmetic education to help improve the mood and look of women batting cancer. “I feel it’s something we get to do that makes our job feel more important,” she said. The Gurnee salon is organizing its first zumba benefit for Sept. 20 at Austin’s Fuel Room in Libertyville. Studio 21 became affiliated with the organization last summer and provided its first client makeover on Sept. 11. Khayat said working with a client who has battled …

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