Wok N Fire is Granted Extended Hours

Last call may be a little bit later than usual on some nights at a new Village Center restaurant set to open around the start of the new year.

After a 40-minute debate Monday night, the gave the green light to a new restaurant, Wok N Fire, 950 Village Center Dr., to stay open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. But during Wok N Fire’s first six months of operation, the restaurant will be allowed to stay open until 2 a.m. for special events approved by the village.

“If we grant them one or two periods of time that stay open, at least we’ll know what the results are,” Trustee Leonard Ruzak said.

While the type of liquor license granted to the restaurant allows for a 2 a.m. closing, the village’s zoning regulations mandate 1 a.m. closings on weekends. The restaurant asked the village for permission to stay open until 2 a.m. for special invitation-only events, such as private party rentals and other events hosted by the restaurant.

Mike Durlacher, general counsel for Wok N Fire, said on average there would be about one private party or special event a month.

“Generally we’re not looking to operate a 2 a.m. restaurant or 2 a.m. lounge,” Durlacher said. “A successful restaurant will survive on its food and its hospitality and its ambiance.”

Located at what Mayor Gary Grasso called “the 50-yard line of the Village Center” and “a place that needed to be filled,” the new restaurant will be the fifth in the area for Wok N Fire. Other locations include Addison, Elmhurst, St. Charles and Wheaton. Durlacher said to his knowledge, there have not been any liquor violations at any of the restaurants, most of which are allowed to stay open late.

“With the exception of the Wheaton restaurant, all the other ones are 2 a.m. operations on the weekends,” he said.

Wok N Fire is hoping to open its Burr Ridge location by the end of the year, Durlacher said. The restaurant would like permission to stay open late for grand opening and Chinese New Year celebrations, he said.

After considerable debate, the board agreed to allow Wok N Fire to ask permission on an “ad hoc” basis each time it wanted to stay open late during its first six months of operation. In the meantime, the village will work on drafting a new policy that will allow restaurants to stay open until 2 a.m.

Grasso said the village should tackle the problem globally and have a general policy throughout the village “so we don’t single out one restaurant.”

Although Trustee Robert Grela at first suggested the Wok N Fire operate for six months before being granted permission to stay open until 2 a.m., he later change his mind. Grasso and other trustees said they didn’t want to see new restaurants have to go through a probation period when coming to the village.

Granting Wok N Fire permission to stay open late on occasion while drafting a new policy fits with the village’s philosophy to develop more restaurant and entertainment use and less retail, Grasso said.

Earlier in the evening, the board granted a special use permit to Capri Mex, a new restaurant located at 118 Burr Ridge Pkwy. in County Line Square, allowing it to sell alcohol and extend its hours until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and midnight Sundays through Thursdays.

“This is consistent with the vision of the board for the Village Center and County Line Square,” Grasso said.

'Eyesore' Foundation to be Removed

In other news, an abandoned foundation that has sat vacant for three years in the Savoy Club subdivision will be removed within the next 45 days.

The developer had built the foundation at 8050 Savoy Club Court in 2008, but because of financial issues did not continue with the rest of the home. In May 2010, the board granted a one-year extension of the building permit to allow the foundation to remain. During the summer, the one-year extension was extended to Sept. 26.

Residents in the area say the site has become an eyesore in the neighborhood.

“It’s a concrete white elephant, which is decaying,” resident Ed Kasper said. “...We would like to finally have this removed.”

After foreclosing earlier this year on the property, it is now owned by FirstMerit Bank. The bank has agreed to remove the foundation, but asked the village to use the $5,000 performance bond posted by the developer to help pay for the approximately $7,000 cost.

Village officials agreed. However, the bond money would not be released until the work is completed to the village’s satisfaction, they said.

“We can’t just give you a check tomorrow and hope you’ll do it three weeks from now,” Village Administrator Steven Stricker said.