Smokehouse and sports bar to open in downtown St. Charles

Rob Mondi's plan to transform his shuttered cafe into a smokehouse and sports bar will leave the downtown St. Charles restaurant barely recognizable.

Chandeliers and lace curtains will be swapped out for barn wood and dartboards. Large TVs soon will line the walls. Equipment for making pancakes and waffles is being replaced by a smoker.

A revamped version of The Grandstander, previously located in Geneva, is expected to open by early June at 11 N. Third St. in St. Charles, Mondi said. The space formerly housed Abby's Breakfast and Lunch, which closed in October because of Mondi's health issues.

Mondi's corporation, RAM Restaurant Group, is teaming up with The Grandstander owner and chef David Reyes to bring the concept to St. Charles. The partnership allows Mondi to handle the business on the back end, while Reyes, who also owns The Finery & Blacksmith Bar in St. Charles, will manage day-to-day operations.

"It was almost a perfect fit," Mondi said.

The Grandstander will offer the same meals and beverages as the closed Geneva location, and then some, Mondi said. The 4,000-square-foot space in St. Charles is twice the size of the Geneva spot, he said, allowing the restaurant to add new dishes with a "smokehouse and barbecue twist."

The establishment also plans to organize dart leagues and offer various other bar games. Brunch will be available on weekends, featuring a menu with some dishes previously served at Abby's, Mondi said.

To give The Grandstander a competitive advantage, operators are seeking a late-night permit from St. Charles that would allow the restaurant to stay open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Licensed restaurants and taverns need special permission to extend their hours past midnight, Police Chief James Keegan said.

The city council is expected to vote next month on whether to grant the permit - a measure that received a 7-2 vote from aldermen at the committee level. Alderman Maureen Lewis, who voted "no" along with Rita Payleitner, said she doesn't have a problem allowing The Grandstander to stay open later. However, she does not support the new establishment operating under the same liquor license as Abby's.

After Abby's closed in October, the liquor license was inactive for more than 30 days and should have been forfeited per city code, Lewis said. However, the city granted Mondi's request to maintain the license through this month, at which point he asked to renew the license, modified his business plan and sought the late-night permit, Keegan said.

Lewis said she believes restaurant operators instead should have applied for a new license. "That is the root of the issue," she said. "I would support a new license and late-night permit for The Grandstander."