Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn American restaurant and winery chain combining full-service dining, wine tasting, retail wine sales, and a membership program.
Last updated August 22, 2026
Overview
Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants is an American hospitality and wine company built around a combined winery, tasting-room, retail, and full-service restaurant format. Founded by Tim McEnery, the business opened its first location in Orland Park, Illinois, in October 2005. McEnery had worked in restaurant management and identified an opportunity to bring the winery experience and restaurant dining into a single venue. The Orland Park opening was described as Illinois' first establishment to operate a winery and restaurant under the same roof. The company's operating model is vertically coordinated at the brand level. Cooper's Hawk produces and blends its wines at a central facility in Woodridge, Illinois, while individual restaurants provide dining rooms, tasting rooms, and retail stores. Restaurants also display Cooper's Hawk wine barrels, in which wines can age for periods ranging from several months to approximately 18 months. The company sources grapes and juice from wine-growing regions including California, then develops a broad portfolio for sale through its own restaurants and retail channels. Rather than functioning primarily as a conventional restaurant with a separate beverage list, Cooper's Hawk makes its own wine central to the customer experience. The company has produced almost 60 different wines and offers a rotating program of 12 wines of the month annually. Its wine club is an important customer-retention and recurring-revenue channel; the company was reported to have approximately 600,000 members in December 2022. The brand's combination of food, wine education, tastings, retail purchases, and membership benefits gives it a broader proposition than either a standard casual-dining chain or a standalone winery. The chain expanded from its Illinois origin across the Midwest and Southeastern United States. The referenced company profile reported 69 locations, each containing a full-service restaurant, tasting room, and retail store. In 2022, Cooper's Hawk also introduced two branded restaurants under the name By Cooper's Hawk, extending the company's restaurant identity beyond its core winery-restaurant format. Cooper's Hawk has received recognition from restaurant and wine institutions. Its cited honors include recognition as a Hot Concept by Nation's Restaurant News in 2010, a MenuMaster award from the same publication in 2013, a USA Today ranking among the ten best winery restaurants in 2021, and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in 2022. The company was also selected to pour its wines at Illinois Inaugural Galas in 2009 and 2013 and created the Cooper's Hawk Artist Red Blend for the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2019, the company was reported to have generated $280 million in revenue and to have been acquired by Ares Management in a transaction valued at approximately $700 million. Because the supplied reference does not identify a current chief executive, public listing status, or standalone corporate website, those fields remain unspecified here. The brand is best characterized as an active, U.S.-focused experiential dining and winery operator whose differentiation rests on proprietary wine, an integrated restaurant format, and a large wine-club customer base.
History
Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants was founded by Tim McEnery after his experience in restaurant management led him to identify a gap between traditional winery visits and ordinary restaurant dining. In October 2005, he opened the first Cooper's Hawk location in Orland Park, Illinois. The concept combined a full-service restaurant, a wine-tasting room, and a retail store in one establishment. This format was described as the first Illinois venue to place a winery and restaurant under the same roof. The company developed a centralized production system to support its growing restaurant network. Its principal wine-production facility in Woodridge, Illinois, covers approximately 125,000 square feet and functions as a hub for producing and blending the company's wines. Grapes and juice are sourced from wine-producing areas including California. Cooper's Hawk restaurants display the brand's barrels and use them as part of the visible winery environment; some wines age on site for periods extending from a few months to approximately 18 months. The brand's growth strategy centered on replicating the integrated winery-restaurant experience across multiple U.S. states. The cited reference described a network of 69 locations across the Midwest and Southeastern United States, with restaurants in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Each location was described as containing a restaurant, tasting room, and retail component. Wine became the organizing product category for the business. Cooper's Hawk produced almost 60 wines and sold its own wines in its restaurants rather than relying principally on external brands. A monthly rotation program supplied 12 wines of the month each year. The company also built a substantial wine-club membership base, reaching approximately 600,000 members by December 2022 according to the cited material. This membership system reinforced repeat visits and connected restaurant dining with wine purchasing and tasting experiences. The company received recognition from both restaurant and wine organizations during its expansion. Nation's Restaurant News named it a Hot Concept in 2010 and recognized it with a MenuMaster award in 2013. USA Today included Cooper's Hawk among its ten best winery restaurants in 2021, while Wine Spectator granted it a Best of Award of Excellence in 2022. The brand also poured its wines at Illinois Inaugural Galas in 2009 and 2013. In addition, it developed the Cooper's Hawk Artist Red Blend for the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2019, Cooper's Hawk was reported to have generated $280 million in revenue. That year, Ares Management acquired the company in a transaction valued at approximately $700 million. In 2022, the business opened two locations under the By Cooper's Hawk name, indicating an extension of its branded restaurant strategy. The available reference material does not establish a current executive roster, a public stock listing, or a current corporate website. The company is therefore documented here as an active private U.S. hospitality and wine brand, with its identity grounded in proprietary wine production, restaurant operations, tasting, retail, and wine-club engagement.
- 2022
Expanded the By Cooper's Hawk format
[1]The company opened two branded restaurants using the By Cooper's Hawk name.
- 2022
Wine Spectator award recognition
[1]Cooper's Hawk received a Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator.
- 2021
Recognized among the best winery restaurants
[1]USA Today included Cooper's Hawk among its ten best winery restaurants.
- 2019
Acquired by Ares Management
[1]Ares Management acquired Cooper's Hawk in a transaction reported at approximately $700 million in value.
- 2013
MenuMaster recognition and second inaugural gala appearance
[1]Nation's Restaurant News recognized the company with a MenuMaster award, and Cooper's Hawk again poured its wines at an Illinois Inaugural Gala.
- 2010
Named a Hot Concept
[1]Nation's Restaurant News recognized Cooper's Hawk as a Hot Concept.
- 2009
Wine poured at Illinois Inaugural Gala
[1]Cooper's Hawk was selected to pour its wines at the Illinois Inaugural Gala in Washington, D.C.
- 2005
First Cooper's Hawk location opened
[1]Tim McEnery opened the first Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants location in Orland Park, Illinois, in October 2005, combining a winery, tasting room, retail store, and full-service restaurant.
Products and positioning
An accessible, experience-led winery and restaurant concept that integrates proprietary wine production, tastings, full-service dining, retail sales, and membership into one hospitality proposition.
Wine
Cooper's Hawk wine portfolio
The company produces and blends its own wine portfolio using grapes and juice sourced from wine-producing regions including California. The portfolio comprises almost 60 wines, and Cooper's Hawk restaurants primarily serve and sell the company's proprietary wines. Wine barrels are displayed at restaurant locations and may be used for aging wines for several months to approximately 18 months.
Wine program
Wines of the Month
Cooper's Hawk operates a rotating wine program featuring 12 wines of the month each year. The program gives customers a changing selection of branded wines and supports recurring visits, tastings, and wine-club engagement.
Full-service dining · 2005
Winery restaurants
The core Cooper's Hawk venue combines a full-service restaurant with a wine-tasting room and retail store. The format is designed to make dining, wine discovery, purchasing, and winery presentation part of one customer experience rather than separate activities.
Membership program
Cooper's Hawk Wine Club
The Wine Club is the brand's membership-based customer-retention offering. It connects members with Cooper's Hawk wines and the restaurant network; the company was reported to have approximately 600,000 members as of December 2022.
Restaurant format · 2022
By Cooper's Hawk
By Cooper's Hawk is a branded restaurant format introduced by the company in 2022. Two locations were reported to have opened under this name, representing an extension of the company's restaurant portfolio beyond its established winery-restaurant model.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Cooper's Hawk Artist Red Blend
United States
Cooper's Hawk created the Artist Red Blend for the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards, linking a proprietary wine release with a major entertainment-industry event.
Outcome. The wine was associated with the awards event; the supplied reference does not provide sales or campaign-performance data.
Brand decisions
2022
Expansion through the By Cooper's Hawk formatStrategyBackground
Cooper's Hawk had established a multi-state network based on integrated restaurants, tasting rooms, retail stores, and proprietary wine.
Action taken
The company opened two branded restaurants under the By Cooper's Hawk name.
Aftermath
The available reference confirms the openings but does not report performance data or broader rollout plans.
2019
Sale to Ares ManagementM&ABackground
Cooper's Hawk had expanded its integrated winery-restaurant model across the Midwest and Southeastern United States and was reported to have generated $280 million in revenue in 2019.
Action taken
Ares Management acquired the company in a transaction reported to be valued at approximately $700 million.
Aftermath
The supplied reference identifies Ares Management as the acquirer but does not describe subsequent ownership changes, operating results, or strategic effects.
Reported transaction value. $700 million (2019)
Recent events
- 2022
Cooper's Hawk opened two By Cooper's Hawk restaurants[1]
Product launch
The company opened two restaurants operating under the By Cooper's Hawk name, extending its branded restaurant portfolio.
- 2022
Cooper's Hawk wine club reached approximately 600,000 members[1]
Other
The company was reported to have approximately 600,000 wine-club members as of December 2022, underscoring the importance of membership in its customer relationship model.
- 2019
Ares Management acquired Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants[1]
M&A
Cooper's Hawk was acquired by Ares Management in a transaction reported to be valued at approximately $700 million. The company was also reported to have generated $280 million in revenue during 2019.
Sources1 sources
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