Pizzeria to take over former Francesca's in West Dundee

Months after the unexpected closure of Francesca's Campagna in West Dundee, owners of a Rockford pizzeria have purchased the downtown site with the intention of opening their second location.

Woodfire Brick Oven Pizza is expected to start operating in late fall in the building at Main and Second streets. Restaurateurs Joe and Anne D'Astice plan to renovate the former Francesca's at 127 W. Main St. and expand the restaurant space into the shuttered Fox & Filly store under the same roof. The establishment also will have a back dining patio.

The D'Astices' business started in 2010 as a mobile wood-fired oven that catered graduation parties and served late-night snacks at wedding receptions, they said. Five years later, the couple opened the first Woodfire restaurant in an up-and-coming area of downtown Rockford.

The West Dundee site has many of the same characteristics as the Rockford establishment, Joe D'Astice said. Both are in aging buildings blocks away from a river and across the street from their respective town halls.

"When we saw that the Francesca's space opened up, we thought it'd be a perfect location for Woodfire No. 2," he said. "We really liked the area, and we liked the similarities in that location compared to where we're at now."

The departure of Francesca's late last year came as a surprise to West Dundee officials, who had been discussing potential renovation and expansion plans with company representatives for months, Village President Chris Nelson said. The building had been for sale and was in need of an upgrade, and Francesca's had stripped most of the fixtures, meaning it would need a "tremendous amount of work," he said.

Even so, within a day after word got out, five restaurant operators had contacted the village saying they were interested in the space, Nelson said. Woodfire met all the criteria the village was looking for, he said, including prior experience running a restaurant.

"It's not replicating any other concept locally, and they've established a solid following in Rockford," Nelson said. "We're excited, and we believe they'll do well."

The building is being gutted, redesigned and redeveloped by Paul McVicker of Sleepy Hollow-based Arc-Con Associates, the same developer who recently completed renovations at Craft Donuts & Coffee and Bamboozels, both in downtown West Dundee.

"These buildings all are well over 100 years old, so there are a lot of challenges in all of them, but it's a pretty unique experience," he said. "We're trying to keep the vintage-retro look. As much as we can keep and restore, we try to reuse. They really (have) a nice look."

Woodfire is expected to serve specialty wood-fired pizzas, handmade and imported pastas, sandwiches, salads and appetizers. The Italian restaurant will be open daily for lunch and dinner, D'Astice said.