New restaurant opening in Palatine under old name

The Palatine village council unanimously granted a special use permit this week allowing an Italian restaurant and bakery to open in the Woodcraft Plaza shopping center along Dundee Road, just west of Route 53.

According to documents filed with the village, Rossini de Lucca will serve pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches and salad, and offer delivery and carryout in addition to dining in. The first floor of the property, which is the largest in the strip mall, will hold a bakery selling baked goods wholesale as well as to the restaurant's customers.

"This will be a family restaurant for all ages and for all types of people," Jaroslav Prus, the restaurant's owner, wrote on the petition papers filed with the village. "This place will be quiet and safe."

Prus could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The restaurant's name may sound familiar to some residents. In June 2012, the village council approved a restaurant owned by Frank Sbragia of Long Grove called Luciano's di Lucca Ristorante at the same location. The name of Sbragia's restaurant was changed to Rossini de Lucca before it opened.

Kevin Anderson, the assistant director of planning and zoning for the village, said Sbragia's Rossini de Lucca closed about six months after it opened. A message on the website for the now-closed restaurant said it "had to close from unforeseen problems."

The owners don't plan to substantially alter the building, located at 1280 E. Dundee Road.

According to village documents, the bakery will sell tiramisu, chocolate cake with apricot jam, cheesecake, croissants and more. It will employ 10-15 people as bakers, assistant bakers and truck drivers who will deliver goods to business customers.

About 30 percent of the sales will be from the bakery, with the rest coming from the restaurant, documents state.

The restaurant will employ 30-35 people including kitchen staff, bartenders and managers, as well as a computer manager to operate the restaurant's website, which will have online ordering.

Rossini de Lucca will have 250 seats for guests and private rooms for parties. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

The village council also approved the restaurant's request for a liquor license.