Newly designed Denny's coming to Hoffman Estates

Hoffman Estates village board members have narrowly approved a newly designed Denny's restaurant in the Poplar-Prairie Shopping Center over the parking objections of the neighboring Stone Eagle Tavern.

The 4-3 vote in favor of the Denny's at 4690 Hoffman Blvd. overcame the planning & zoning commission's 4-3 vote recommending against its approval.

Representatives of the Stone Eagle Tavern at the intersection of Route 59 and Hoffman Boulevard said that while they and the facing lot were always intended to share parking, it had been their understanding that only one would be a restaurant while the other would be a store.

Stone Eagle Tavern's attorney Patrick Turner argued that the Denny's would adversely affect the availability of parking for his client. He also criticized the report of the new restaurant's traffic consultant, KLOA Inc., for conducting its study demonstrating an adequate amount of parking during two cold days in January.

Village staff recommended approval of the Denny's, agreeing with KLOA's findings that the two businesses would have different peak parking periods. They also recognized no prohibition against the Denny's site being used for a restaurant.

The Denny's will sport a new design most patrons won't have seen before, said Project Associate Othoniel Bejarano of Food Service Concepts Inc. in Phoenix. Though the design has been around for about three years, very little construction has occurred during that period, he added.