Naperville restaurant that replaced Show-Me's folds after 3 months
The “family-friendly” restaurant that replaced a controversial eatery with scantily attired waitresses has folded after only three months in business.
The Linebacker Grille, 1126 E. Ogden, replaced Show-Me's restaurant in mid-April, promising a family-oriented dining experience with tablecloths and a craft beer menu a mile long. But now the former Famous Dave's cabin-style location vacant.
Linebacker officials were unavailable for comment this week, but the restaurant website has been taken down and the telephone number has been removed from service.
Mayor George Pradel said Tuesday that he met with the managers recently and they explained the business was struggling.
“They gave it the old Boy Scout try and did the best they could,” Pradel said. “But in the end, they weren't getting the traffic they needed to pay the bills and break even so they had to close the doors. It's a shame.”
The location has struggled since Famous Dave's closed in 2009. It sat vacant until early 2011 when Show-Me's occupied the site from February through November. The approval process was fraught with controversy as nearby residents complained about the restaurant's atmosphere an potential for drunken patrons.
Linebacker Grille opened in mid-April.
Pradel said the location seems to be a tough one.
“I think it's an unfortunate spot on that corridor because traffic is whizzing by too fast to even see them in there,” Pradel said. “Between that and the odd parking lot there, it's going to take some work and hustle for the next people to make it.”
Added Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Interim President and CEO Tami Andrew, “Sometimes as good as the location gets, on Ogden Avenue frontage, it's still not a good location. And parking was difficult. It's unfortunate because the Linebacker Grille was a good concept with good food and good service. But the restaurant market in Naperville is very competitive.”
Amy Emery, assistant to Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger, was the city planner in 2008 when the city undertook its Ogden Avenue Corridor Study to see how the stretch between Naper and Washington could be spiffed up. Since then several trees have been planted in parkways, sidewalk connections have been made and sign and parking ordinances were made less restrictive to be more business-friendly.
In 2009, the city issued $200,000 worth of matching grants to corridor businesses, Emery said, resulting in more than $1 million worth of aesthetic improvements to businesses fronting Ogden Avenue.
Budget cuts killed the grant program after only one year but Emery said the program will return as early as late summer or early fall.
“Any new tenants at 1126 East Ogden will certainly be able to apply for those grant dollars to try anything they think will help them be successful.”