The 10-Year Journey of Lock Chicago Which Brought us Here
When we first started scouting locations for an escape room in 2015, the "immersive entertainment" scene in Chicago was still in its infancy. There were about 5 other escape rooms in the state, with several of them unfortunately no longer around. Most people thought an escape room was something you’d find in a horror movie, not a place for a corporate outing or a family Saturday.
Today, as we look back on nearly a decade of operation, the landscape has changed - but our mission at Lock Chicago remains the same: to create "Escape Rooms" that push the boundaries of what a group of people can achieve in 60 minutes (or less) and bring people together whether it’s friends, families, coworkers, or more.
The idea for Lock Chicago didn’t actually start in the Midwest. It started in the neon-lit streets of Shinjuku, Tokyo. One of the owners was teaching English in Japan when he stumbled upon the early pioneers of the escape room genre. Unlike the lock-and-key rooms that would eventually traverse the U.S. market, these Japanese games were high-tech, tactile, and deeply narrative. After two years he returned to the US and saw that the industry was still in it’s early stages across the country.
In late 2015, Lock Chicago was born. We originally had our sights set on Irving Park road (hence the name Lock Chicago), but after navigating the maze of Chicago’s zoning red tape, we found our true home in Downtown Evanston. It turned out to be the best move we ever made as both owners grew up in the area with close ties to the local community.
Evolution of the "Escape Room"
In the early days, we launched with our first game Sunburn, which featured a reflection-based light puzzle that challenged players to think in three dimensions. We quickly realized our players didn't just want to "escape" a locked door - they wanted a mission.
This realization turned Lock Chicago into a "Challenge Room" facility. Instead of being trapped, you were given an objective:
The Mission: In rooms like Kong, you’re saving an endangered silverback gorilla from the hidden poacher’s camp.
The Atmosphere: In Matsuri, we brought a piece of Japanese culture to Evanston, creating a family-friendly quest that transports people out of Illinois and into a new world.
10 Years of Community & Impact
Building Lock Chicago hasn't just been about building puzzles; it’s been about building a community. Over the last decade, we’ve been proud to:
Support Local Charities: In our first year alone, we donated over $40,000 in tickets to local non-profits.
Innovate Beyond the Walls: We’ve designed mobile escape rooms for Northwestern’s Dillo Day and even collaborated with brands like McDonald’s to bring the "solve" to the masses.
The Museum Partnership: Most recently, our partnership with the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry for "Escape the Museum" allowed us to turn one of the world's most iconic buildings into a giant, months-long gameboard.
Looking Forward: The Future of the Solve
The industry has come a long way since we were hand-building our first sets in 2015. We’ve moved buildings three times, expanded our square footage to 4,000 square feet, and even launched a VR arcade to stay on the cutting edge of Chicago entertainment (although that’s since been transformed to a brand new escape game).
But no matter how technical we get, the heart of Lock Chicago is still the "Aha!" moment - the look on a team’s face when the final mechanism clicks into place. Whether you’re a regular who has seen us grow since day one or you’re just now looking for some of the best escape rooms in the Chicago area, we’re honored to have spent the last 10 years as your Game Masters.
Here’s to another decade of unlocking the impossible and creating more memorable experiences.