Try to congratulate Kevin Vaughan on being awarded the 2026 IN-Spirit Award, the annual honor that the Ireland Network Chicago presents to one leader in the Chicago Irish community, and he will quickly clarify that the recipient of the award is not him, but rather Vaughan Hospitality, the company that he has owned with his wife Kristan and late brother Eamonn.
“We’re nothing without our team. That’s who is getting the award,” says Kevin, who notes that the company boasts 300 employees, including his sisters Anne and Diana, across their six bars and restaurants in Chicago. 
Eamonn Vaughan Chairing the 2015 Irish Fellowship Club Christmas Luncheon
The roots of this award stretch back to Newmarket in County Cork, where Kevin and his eight siblings grew up. Their parents Dan Joe and Bina owned a ballroom dance hall, which hosted popular musicians and artists like Joe Dolan, and also provided their children with a glimpse into the business of hospitality.
The Vaughan parents would emigrate to the United States in 1984, and drawing on the hospitality experience they gained in Ireland, they would go on to open the original Vaughan’s Pub on Milwaukee Avenue in 1987. Many of the Vaughan children, including Anne, Diana, Eamonn, and Kevin, became involved in the day-to-day operations of the bar, which quickly found its place as a welcoming home away from home for young Irish immigrants; Kevin recalls that many of them would spend holidays at the bar or ask Bina to cash their paychecks for them there.
Fast forward to 2026, and the six establishments of Vaughan Hospitality have become iconic Chicago institutions; in addition to the original Vaughan’s Pub on the Northwest Side, they own the Emerald Loop and Chicago Brewhouse downtown, another Vaughan’s Pub in Lakeview, and in Old Town, Corcoran’s Grill and Pub and Moon Star Kitchen and Bar, the newest addition to the group that opened in 2025.
Kristan and Kevin Vaughan
Needless to say, the city – and the world – have changed over the past four decades. The typical Irish immigrant in the 1980s looks much different from those emigrating today, and the Irish community that was once centered in specific areas like the Northwest and Southwest is now dispersed across the city, particularly downtown. Chicago has grown into an international tourist destination and seen the opening of Millennium Park, the Riverwalk, and massive growth of areas like River North and Old Town.
“Business looks different nowadays,” Kevin acknowledges. “And we’ve been intentional about finding locations with dense populations, like downtown and Old Town. We like to say that we run Chicago Irish bars, with an emphasis on Chicago. We don’t necessarily push the traditional Irish pub concept. But we’re providing a Chicago bar and restaurant experience with Irish hospitality.”
Ask Kevin for the secret of success of his family business, and his answer is remarkably simple and yet remarkably rare in today’s day of instant gratification and “flavors of the month,” particularly in the bar and restaurant business.
Dan Joe, Bina, Anne, Michael, Kevin, & Danny at Vaughan’s Northwest Highway location in Chicago
“We provide a good product at a fair price in a welcoming environment. People love the idea of visiting a local business with a consistent product, and we’re all about repeat business, not quick wins. We’re not the new shiny penny, but we’re around for the duration,” he shares, noting that Vaughan’s on the Northwest Side has been in business for nearly 40 years, Vaughan’s in Lakeview for 30, and Corcoran’s for 25.
Beyond serving a quality product in a familiar environment, the bars of Vaughan Hospitality serve as critical gathering points for promoting Irish history, culture, and connection with Ireland and its people. In the days before the internet, texting, and social media, they were essential places for Irish immigrants to gather, and despite those technological innovations, they continue to serve that role today.
That sense of Irish hospitality has extended outside of the walls of the Vaughan Hospitality establishments and into the communities in which they operate.
“We do our best to take care of Irish people,” Kevin shares, and anyone who has interacted with the Vaughan Hospitality Group over the last four decades knows that they have made good on that promise.
Vaughan Hospitality has supported a number of Irish organizations, including sports associations, Ireland Network Chicago, the Irish American Partnership, and the Irish Fellowship Club, where Eamonn served on the board of directors and chaired its famous Christmas lunch in 2015.
Anne (Vaughan) Stewart, (r) Vaughan Hospitality's longest serving bartender
The company has hired hundreds of Irish immigrants, welcoming the recognizable young people coming over on the J-1 visa each summer, and regularly opens the doors of its bars and restaurants for Irish-related people and causes.
As Craig O’Halloran, President of the Ireland Network Chicago shared, “The Vaughan establishments have been a home away from home for the Irish in Chicago, including many of Ireland Network Chicago’s events and meetings. Their impact on Chicago’s Irish community—past, present, and future—is immeasurable.”
In addition to focusing on the Irish community, Vaughan Hospitality is also a generous supporter of local organizations, and Kevin previously served as president of the Illinois Restaurant Association.
While the company has been intentional about staying true to its mission without taking excessive risks, it also shows no signs of slowing down, and, when prudent, expanding. The proof of that is the aforementioned Moon Star Kitchen and Bar, which recently opened next door to Corcoran’s and provides a new concept for Vaughan Hospitality. Moon Star is a speakeasy restaurant with shareable food and a drink menu that features high-end cocktails instead of the familiar Guinness of Corcoran’s. The restaurant, so named because Kristan had dreamed of opening a café called Moon Star Café when she was nine years old, is already garnering rave reviews, and Kevin sees it as an opportunity to complement Corcoran’s so both places thrive next door to each other.
Reflecting on the honor bestowed upon Vaughan Hospitality by Ireland Network Chicago, Kevin admits that he “feels like a dot” in the vast tapestry of Irish Chicago, pointing to past award winners such as the late Senator Billy Lawless and Mike Clune as pillars of the community. He reiterates that the award belongs to Vaughan Hospitality’s employees, and particularly to his wife and sisters who continue to carry on the legacy of those that helped build the company, namely his parents Dan Joe and Bina and his brother Eamonn.
Vaughan Hospitality will be honored at the Ireland Network Chicago’s annual ball, held February 7th at the Drake Hotel. More information about the company can be found on its website at vaughanhospitality.com
Vaughan Hospitality to Get IN-Spirit Award from Ireland Network Chicago 2-7
