Yanni's demolished to make room in Arlington Heights

Construction crews spent Thursday tearing down the former Yanni's Greek Restaurant in Arlington Heights to make room for a new restaurant.

The demolition at the corner of Algonquin and Arlington Heights roads comes nearly four years after Yanni's closed in 2012, ending a 13-year run in the village.

Arlington Heights Business Development Coordinator Michael Mertes said it is too early in the process to divulge what restaurant is moving to the prominent corner, but documents from the Cook County Recorder of Deeds show that a company called Yamasho Inc. recently purchased the property for $1.6 million.

Yamasho Inc., owns Sushi Station, a rotating conveyor belt sushi restaurant with locations in Rolling Meadows and Elgin. The Elk Grove Village-based company's website describes Yamasho as a restaurant supply company focusing on Japanese food and culture selling items like traditional tableware, kitchen equipment, sushi cases and decorations.

The 10,700-square-foot Yanni's had a distinctive style to fit with the Mediterranean theme, but new owners will rebuild from scratch on the site, which is an outlot of Mitsuwa Marketplace, the largest Japanese supermarket in the Midwest.

At the end of December there was a small fire at the former Yanni's set by someone who broke into the abandoned eatery to keep warm, but there was no significant damage, police said.

Mertes said there's no timeline yet of when the new restaurant will open, as the company has not yet gone through the planning process other than for its demolition permits.

Whenever it opens, though, Mertes said the new business will be positive news for the village.

"We're very happy. It's a great corner and it's really kind of our south gateway to the community," he said. "We're excited to have another dining option for our residents, for the area in general and for the guests who stay at our hotels in the area."