Sidecar Supper Club: How Rain, Roller Skates, and Community Helped “Keep Batavia Weird”

How One Rainy June Sparked a Downtown Batavia Favorite

Melissa Monno is the proud owner of Sidecar Supper Club & Beer Garden in downtown Batavia, a cozy neighborhood gathering place that’s celebrating 10 years of music, food, and fun along the Fox River. As Sidecar marks a decade in business, it’s the perfect moment to spotlight the fun-filled energy Melissa and her restaurant have brought to the Aurora Area.

What started as a small idea in the back of her mind turned into a beautiful space where travelers and locals can gather, connect, and enjoy each other’s company. “When people ask me how or why I ended up owning a business, I always joke that it’s because it rained so much in June of 2015,” Melissa says.

After earning her degree in journalism, Melissa worked in hospitality while trying to find her footing in the world. In 2014, she purchased a sidecar motorcycle and trained her dog to ride with her. She quit her job and decided to head west in search of adventure.

While that worked for the first year, she was met with constant rain the following year. “Every time I planned to head out, another storm rolled through,” she recalls. “While waiting it out, I came across a listing for a bar for sale. I had always dreamed of owning a neighborhood watering hole — a place that could feel like home between life’s adventures.”

That rainy detour led her to 12 N. River Street on a picture-perfect post-storm day. “The energy felt right immediately, and the potential felt huge.” From that moment, Sidecar Supper Club was set in motion—proof that sometimes the best journeys begin when plans fall apart.

A Space Shaped by Community

Melissa has been in the area for the last ten years, and in 2021 she settled on the west side of Aurora with her family. When asked what her mission initially was, she shared that the community helped shape what Sidecar could become rather than the other way around.

She describes the energy as “a laid-back, welcoming gathering space where no two nights feel exactly the same. Inside, the atmosphere feels timeless and transportive — one evening it might host a mini lecture or community event, the next a cozy dinner service, and later become an intimate listening room for incredible live music. Outdoors, you’ll experience all the charm of a historic downtown river town, with great food, drinks, and live music stretching through sunset and under the stars.”

From the start, Sidecar has embraced its role as both a neighborhood hangout and a destination for visitors discovering downtown Batavia for the first time.

“The Absolute Best Kind of Eclectic Weirdos”

Melissa describes her customers exactly as they are. “The absolute best kind of eclectic weirdos — creative, kind, expressive, welcoming, and endlessly interesting. Over the years, many of them have become genuine friends. On any given night, you might find dancing dogs, grandparents playing hopscotch without their grandkids, dancing ladies doing a costume change mid-evening, or an impromptu barbershop-style singalong of Billy Joel songs after hours. No day is alike, and every day is filled with laughter.”

Granting visitors a space to connect and take in river views, she can see her impact simply by existing in Batavia. During Bluegrass Sundays, Melissa often watches as guests who arrive as strangers leave as friends, one of the clearest signs of the community she’s helped cultivate. That everyday magic—strangers becoming friends over good food and live music—is exactly what makes Sidecar such an essential stop in the Aurora Area.

Collaboration at the Heart of the Menu

Melissa and Sidecar aren’t afraid to grow through collaboration. She has had multiple partnerships, all rooted in community, creativity, and elevating local flavor.

The “one that stands out is our partnership with both Willy Sauce and Gindo’s Spice of Life to create two signature hot sauces. We focused on sauces that complement the food rather than overpower it.” Sidecar also supports other local makers through features and interactive events. “Supporting each other in that way has become one of the most rewarding parts of what we do.”

These collaborations help Sidecar’s menu feel uniquely local; with flavors and stories you won’t find anywhere else.

A Stage for Local Music and Arts

Sidecar Supper Club also has a “partnership in music with the Fermi Community Orchestra, which provides adult musicians of all levels the opportunity to explore, learn, and perform great works in a welcoming, supportive setting. They host free, family-friendly concerts three times a year at Batavia United Methodist Church.”

Inside Sidecar, that same spirit of accessibility and creativity comes through in the regular live music calendar, Bluegrass Sundays, and a steady stream of performances that make the restaurant feel like a small, welcoming listening room as much as a supper club.

Inspired by Fellow Small Business Owners

Other business owners help fuel Melissa’s bright energy in her business. Natasha, owner of Big Rock Organics and Esther’s Place, and Cheryl, owner of Urban Apothecary and Fat Sam’s, are among the local entrepreneurs she looks up to.

She describes these local business owners as “resilient, creative, and constantly balancing so many moving parts, yet they continue to communicate with such thoughtfulness and care toward both their communities and the public. What resonates with me most is the energy they bring into the world. They create spaces that feel welcoming and genuine and being able to share in that spirit alongside them feels a little bit magical.” All are qualities she embodies at Sidecar as well.

Tourism, Trails, and Happy Discoveries

Tourism has impacted Sidecar in numerous ways within their tenure. Melissa mentions how lucky they are to be near “the Comedy Vault, which has become a real asset and regional draw for the area. We also benefit from being along a well-used bike path, which acts as a natural artery through the community. We regularly meet people who are out riding, exploring, or visiting for destination shopping and brewery stops, and they often find their way to us while discovering the area.”

Whether guests are in town for a show, a ride along the Fox River, or a weekend of brewery hopping and boutique shopping, Sidecar often becomes the place where their day ends—with great food, a cold drink, and new friends around the table.

Why the Aurora Area Feels Like Home

Melissa shared with us what she loves the most about doing business in the Aurora Area. “The way people genuinely show up for each other here — not just in big moments, but in small everyday ways. There’s a real sense of connection, support, and shared pride in creating places and experiences together.” That sense of connection is exactly what Sidecar reflects into the community, night after night.

Real Talk for Aspiring Business Owners

Being a business owner, Melissa understands what kind of sacrifices many owners must make to fulfill their dream. Her advice? “Ask for help. Be yourself. Don’t try to do it all alone, and don’t underestimate how important systems are. There are great resources out there like SCORE and Start Something Studio that can provide mentorship and guidance when you’re getting started.”

Her journey—from rainy road trip detours to running a beloved downtown staple—shows what’s possible with vision, vulnerability, and a willingness to lean on others.

How to Experience Sidecar at Its Best

The best way to support Melissa and Sidecar Supper Club is to attend any of their events. On Tuesdays and Sundays, they host free, family-friendly live music events and Team Trivia on Thursdays.

Melissa mentions that they would “love to see people come out and support local live music in our beer garden on Friday and Saturday nights — it’s one of the best ways to experience everything the space is about. Simply showing up, sharing a meal, bringing friends, and spreading the word makes a huge difference as we continue to grow.”

Whether you come for trivia, bluegrass, or a weekend show under the lights, you’ll get a true taste of Sidecar’s personality.

“No Strangers Here, Just Friends You Haven’t Met Yet”

Melissa always wants her customers to have a fun experience when they visit. “Take it all in. Just be present. Talk to someone. No strangers here, just friends you haven’t met yet. It’s a vibe.”

Most likely you’ll run into Melissa on any given night, but if you are lucky enough to catch her on her roller skates, make sure to give her props. She skated for the Aurora 88s Roller Derby a few years back and thought “to throw on roller skates and serve tables quickly and efficiently up and down the North River Street Woonerf. So now, I still show up on skates most Thursdays and Sundays… for the fans, of course. Ha!” This and so many other quirky qualities add up to who Melissa is, and to us that’s what makes dining at Sidecar a joyous experience.

It all aligns with her mockup of a political campaign slogan if she ever ran for elected office: “Keep Batavia Weird.” And at Sidecar Supper Club, that spirit is alive and well.

Finding Balance Beyond the Beer Garden

Her dogs are still a big piece of her life and she spends her free time, frequently hiking with her furry companions at Kane and Kendall County Forest Preserves. “One of my favorite places is the top of the hill off the Siegler Lake Trail in Big Rock Forest Preserve — the view up there is special. I like going to listen to the wind and feel small in a very big world. There’s something powerful about that perspective shift.”

That love of nature, reflection, and perspective shows up in how she stewards Sidecar—a place where guests can slow down, be fully present, and feel part of something bigger than themselves.

An Aurora Area Original

When asked how she would describe her community Melissa states, “authentic, vibrant, and connected.”

That description fits not only Batavia and the Aurora Area, but Sidecar Supper Club itself. It’s a place where locals and visitors gather by the river, where live music spills into the street, and where “eclectic weirdos” of all kinds are not just welcomed but celebrated. For travelers exploring the region and residents looking for a new favorite spot, Sidecar encapsulates what makes the Aurora Area so special: genuine hospitality, creative small businesses, and communities that show up for one another.

If you’re planning your next night out, weekend getaway, or Fox River adventure, make sure Sidecar Supper Club is on your list. Come for the food and music, stay for the stories—and leave feeling a little more “authentic, vibrant, and connected” yourself. As Sidecar Supper Club celebrates 10 incredible years, be sure to join the festivities on May 22 and experience firsthand the music, community, and “Keep Batavia Weird” spirit that started it all.