South Elgin’s Bear Family Restaurants is selling all of its McDonald’s restaurants, rebranding as BFRx Hospitality and starting a new endeavor to open eight K9 Resorts, including one in the Elgin area.
“We’re fully divesting, which is why we are rebranding,” said David Bear, who owns the company and serves as its president.
The new name leverages the company’s history, Bear said, and includes the “x” to represent their exponential growth into the hospitality industry. The newly branded business will remain operating out of its South Elgin office.
Gloria Casas / The Courier-News
The McDonald’s restaurant on Larkin Avenue in Elgin, which dates back to 1966, was the site of the first dual-lane drive-thru system in the country, designed by owner Jerry Bear. The store’s original sign can be seen on the back of the building. (The Courier-News)
Bear’s parents, Jerry and Marcelle Bear, started the company in 1967 when they purchased the Larkin Avenue McDonald’s in Elgin from McDonald’s Corp. Over the years, the company grew to more than 30 McDonald’s franchises throughout the Chicago area.
As of Friday, his company sold nine McDonald’s locations and closed one it operated at Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge.
On Monday, the remaining 25 restaurants will close at staggered times throughout the day for inventory work, Bear said. On Tuesday morning, they will reopen under the helm of a number of new owners, he said. That includes the five McDonald’s in Elgin and two in South Elgin.
The switch to a new line of K9 Resort franchises is tied to the love of dogs he and his wife, Nicole, share, he said. They refer to their female Labrador named Henley, after Don Henley of Eagles fame, as their “dog-ter,” he said.
The couple wants to bring more of the luxury pet hotel/day care franchises to the Chicago-area market with the same family business commitment to employees and guests that they offered with their restaurants, Bear said.
The Bears learned about New Jersey-based K9 Resorts through websites and trade publications. Brothers Steven and Jason Parker founded the business in 2005, began franchising in 2011, and have 47 current locations and more than another 100 in development in 28 states, according to a Franchise Times report.
Bear said that after he and his wife met with the brothers, they were immediately impressed and knew they wanted to work with them.
“They offer a level of passion, professionalism and commitment that’s similar to Ray Kroc’s,” he said.
The K9 Resorts website says, “At K9 Resorts, your furry friend isn’t just a pet — they’re family. Our award-winning luxury dog hotel offers a resort-style experience, combining familiar comforts with recreational fun.”
The BFRx Hospitality agreement with K9 Resorts will eventually lead to the company opening eight franchises in a protected territory in the Chicago market. Bear said he hopes to open two locations sometime in 2026 in or near towns where he owned McDonald’s.
Currently, the only Chicago-area K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel franchise is in Deerfield. It opened in June and is owned by Luxury Pet Hotel Investments LLC, according to an online news release.
Those owners have their own part of the Chicago market, Bear said. He plans to work closely with them.
Bear, his wife and Bear’s cousin, Gary Dayan, will be involved with the endeavor as will Bear’s grown children, Nicole and Adam.
He expects some of his current staff will be involved with the undertaking, learning the specific skills needed to run a pet resort and earning the required certifications. He plans to be operationally focused, learning the business from the ground up, he said.
“I’m looking forward to bringing our high level of service and experience to this part of the marketplace,” Bear said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.