CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago now has bragging rights as home to the world's largest rooftop bar.
"With a confirmed area today of 52,310.29 square feet, you have set the Guinness World Records title for world's largest rooftop bar, congratulations," said Christina Flounders-Conlon, Adjudicator, Guinness World.
In it’s opening ceremony Thursday, The Guinness Book of World’s Records named Offshore, the highly anticipated new deck sitting on the third floor of Navy Pier as the “World’s Largest Rooftop Deck.”
"This is the first of three phases of a project that we've undertaken at the Pier about a year ago," said Bob Habeeb, CEO, Maverick Hotels & Restaurants.
"The rooftop bar is open, a year from now we'll be opening a 222 room hotel."
"You don't really think of Navy Pier as somewhere locals go. It's mainly for tourists. Our business has been driven by 100 percent locals thus far," he said.
Offshore can accommodate up to 1,000 people. Habeeb said the venue is putting Chicago on the map.
"What Chicagoans like about the rooftop experience is when we come out of our cocoons, out of a rough winter, it's so nice to be outside and have a drink and now we're outside on top of the lake. Navy Pier is really Chicago's front porch," Habeeb said.
Offshore is open Monday through Thursday 4 p.m. to midnight, Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to midnight. For more information, log onto drinkoffshore.com