New name, new look for former Bakers Square in Palatine
Palatine’s shuttered Bakers Square restaurant will have a new name when it reopens, possibly within a week.
The restaurant at 270 E. Northwest Highway has been rebranded as a Village Inn.
Minnesota-based BBQ Holdings, the company that owns the Village Inn and Bakers Square chains, is behind the change. The company also owns the Famous Dave’s and Real Urban BBQ restaurant chains, among others.
Since a 2022 merger, BBQ Holdings is a subsidiary of Quebec-based MTY Food Group.
The Palatine restaurant has been closed since January, when a pipe in sprinkler system broke, Community Development Director Michael Jacobs said. Restaurateurs subsequently decided to remodel, he said.
A final round of building inspections is expected this week, Jacobs said, which means the restaurant could reopen within a week or so.
Three Bakers Square restaurants remain in Illinois, according to the chain’s website. In addition to Palatine, the others are in Chicago and Woodridge. Additionally, a Bakers Square pie shop operates within a Famous Dave’s in Orland Park. Bakers Square locations in Gurnee, Libertyville, Naperville, Willowbrook and Wilmette have closed in recent years.
The Bakers Square chain originally was called Poppin' Fresh Pies. It was renamed after a 1983 sale to a now-defunct company.
Representatives of BBQ Holdings and MTY Food Group couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.