Beer garden coming to Prairie Stone Business Park in Hoffman Estates
A proposal that stalled last year for a summertime beer garden on Hoffman Estates' Village Green was approved for this year on Monday, after its planners had more time to work out administrative details of the operation.
By a 6-to-1 vote, the village board awarded a lease allowing Dasbier Garden, LLC to operate a beer garden most days and nights from mid-May through late October at the village-owned space, located in the Prairie Stone Business Park off Route 72 and just west of the Sears Centre Arena.
Trustee Gary Stanton cast the sole dissenting vote. Stanton, an attorney, cited concerns about the village's potential liability related to alcohol sales there, as well as the leasing of a publicly owned property for private use.
Other board members believed those questions, also raised a year ago, had been resolved.
Under the agreement, Dasbier Garden will pay the village 20 percent of all alcohol sales, 10 percent of food and soft drink sales and a monthly utility fee of $250. Cleaning of the restrooms and garbage removal will be the responsibility of the business.
The beer garden would run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, except during the Northwest Fourth Fest in early July and the Platzkonzert on Sept. 12, unless specifically invited by the village to participate in those festivals.
Dasbier Garden President Andrew Hartman said he's seeking a family-friendly venue in the evenings and on weekends, while catering to a lunchtime crowd from surrounding businesses on the weekdays.
Hartman, a Lakewood resident, said he has an adviser who started a similar, successful venture at a park in Milwaukee in 2012.
Village Trustee Gary Pilafas was generally supportive of Hartman's plan, but was less certain about whether a lunchtime crowd from nearby businesses will materialize.
“There's some question about the lunch crowd and what you'll be able to reel in out there, but time will tell,” Pilafas said.
Hartman said he's seen employees of local business walk right through the Village Green during their lunch breaks, and is confident they'd patronize the beer garden.
In addition to beer and wine sales, which would end at 9 p.m. each day, the business also plans to offer German-style pretzels and sausages, grilled hot dogs, soft drinks and similar menu items.
Dasbier Garden plans to use the existing concession building on the site with some minor, reversible modifications. Outside will be 40 to 60 picnic tables, umbrellas, traditional German banners and a temporary sun shade.
Hartman said he would like to replace the grass on the 4,000-square-foot space with crushed, compacted limestone to provide better surface after rainfall. For this modification, he must provide the village with a letter of credit for $4,500 to cover restoration of the grass if the beer garden goes away.