Correction: Due to a source error, two bands who did not play, but were listed in the original line up were named. The article has been updated to reflect that Savannah Whitaker and Eversay the band, which is led by Blake Dawson played instead. 

NILES — For nearly three years, the former Riverfront Café, 219 Front St., has been undergoing a quiet transformation behind its plain brick walls, as new owners worked to restore the once venerable establishment.

But on Saturday night, plans for the new restaurant were announced in a form that was anything but silent. After months of keeping detailed plans a mystery, including even the name of the business, co-owner of the business Chance Smith spoke into a microphone to talk about his plans for the establishment during The Raging Rumor Music Festival in Riverfront Park.

Smith co-hosted the festival with Matt Shaver, owner of Rumor Has It, a record shop on Main Street. Smith said he and Shaver wanted to give back to the community and also use it as an exciting way to launch the restaurant.

“Obviously, the biggest reason we did this concert was not only to bring a cool event to the park, but also to finally announce that our restaurant will be named The Rage,” Smith said.

The concert was free and open to the public and brought several indie rock bands to the Riverfront Amphitheater stage, including the Timbre of Cedar and headliner Tiger and Frame. Initially, Jake LeMOND and Corentyn Fogle were listed on the lineup, but were unable to attend, so Savannah Whitaker and Eversay the band, led by Blake Dawson played instead.

In between sets, Smith unfurled a banner, bearing the new restaurant’s name: The Rage, before the crowd.

Smith, 22, will be opening the restaurant with his sister Sage Smith. The soon-to-be restaurant’s namesake stems from the saying “All the rage.” With plans to be fresh and modern, Smith said they felt the name was fitting for the restaurant.

“We really think it was the perfect fit for what our restaurant is going to be,” Smith said. “Once we started creating the menu, we saw that we were doing stuff a little bit different and things you would only see in big cities. We said, ‘we are kind of trying to be all the rage.’ Our goal is to be new and fresh.”

Smith said he and Sage could open the upstairs portion of the restaurant first. They hope to have this portion of the restaurant open within the next month or two. Upstairs restaurant goers would be able to enjoy a café, where they could sip coffee or enjoy frozen yogurt.

The downstairs portion of the restaurant will offer a variety of lunch and dinner meals, including tacos, Buddha bowls, salads, burgers and gourmet mac and cheese, to name a few. Keeping the menu affordable is a priority, with the price point will be between $8 to $10.

Adding in technology features like using kiosks for ordering is one way Smith said he aims to modernize the restaurant.

“[It’s] going to be affordable, casual dining,” Smith said.

Smith said they intend to hire between 15 to 20 part-time workers and spend the next couple of weeks training and preparing staff.

For those looking to track the progress and see some before and after photos, Smith said they will be posting regular updates on their Facebook and Instagram page @therage and on Twitter at @ragecafe.

As far as the music concert goes, Smith said he hopes to bring the concert back next year and offer several shows throughout the summer. Community sponsorships helped to fund the inaugural concert and Smith expressed his gratitude to locals for bringing the concert into reality.   

“I think this event really showed us how amazing and helpful our community is, because we have had people that we didn’t even ask to help come and help us, and we just can’t thank the city of Niles enough for everything they have helped us with,” Smith said. “We hope every year it continues to grow more and more.”