Our story began in 1972 when our founder Pam Mack's father, Joe Mack, continued the Mack family tradition of bar ownership with the purchase of The Knotty Pine Lounge at 714 W 115th Street in Chicago.
Pam was just 5 years old but had the weekend task of washing glasses at the bar and picking up parking lot trash for her allowance. Everyone in the Mack household worked and contributed to making Knotty Pine thrive in its early years! As she matured, those tasks turned into weekly tasks that included but were not just limited to DJing, bookkeeping, marketing, stocking inventory and bartending once she was of age.
Pam loved the nightlife excitement and the patrons who became members of Mack's extended family. She was destined to continue this legacy. After all, her paternal grandmother managed a cafe that she would frequent during her summer stays in Hayti Missouri; her great uncle, Jimmy Mack, owned The Main Event, one of the most classy and popular clubs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for over 50 years.
In 2016, there was a perfect storm, if you will, Pam grew wiser and her roles on television and radio could no longer compete with the dream of making her father even more proud. That dream, a legacy project called Knotty Luxe Bistro.
