New Briana's restaurant to open in Palatine
Briana's Restaurant & Pancake House will open soon in the space at 154 W. Northwest Hwy. in Palatine that was home to Luigi's Italian Bistro.
The restaurant, which will serve breakfast and lunch food from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner until midnight seven days a week, is the third eatery with the “Briana's” name owned by Erika Hernandez, according to village documents.
Hernandez's plan to open the restaurant was approved by the Palatine village council Monday night. Hernandez, who lives in Elgin, told the village's zoning board of appeals in February that she is hoping to turn Briana's into a chain.
According to the plan filed with the village, the new restaurant will have a similar floor plan as Luigi's, which had four dining rooms, a bar and circular tables. The banquet space will not be used.
The owners have 15 years of restaurant experience, and the first Briana's was opened in 2012. The other two locations are in Elburn and Elgin. The Palatine location will be the first to stay open beyond 3 p.m. and serve dinner.
The previous tenant, Luigi's, opened in November 2014 but didn't last a full year. Village rules state new restaurants don't have to be approved by the village council if they open within six months of the previous restaurant closing.
Before Luigi's, Vittorio De Roma occupied the space from 2005 until the summer of 2014.
Hernandez did not return calls for comment Tuesday.