New restaurant to move into Elk Grove Town Center

After two years with a key storefront empty in the Elk Grove Town Center, a new, all-American restaurant called Topa will be opening up by the end of the month.

Touted as the "great American table," Topa will offer a wide range of food with varying prices to match, said Peter Diaz, co-owner of Rosewood Restaurant in Rosemont.

His two sons, Paul, 31, and Tony, 28, who've both worked in the business for years, will manage Topa, which is near the corner of Arlington Heights and Biesterfield roads.

In fact, the word "Topa" is an amalgam of his sons' first names, he said.

At Topa, customers will be able to sample a hamburger for less than $10, while more expensive fare, like a roasted rack of lamb, would set customers back about $25.

"Topa is going to put out a good quality product at reasonable prices with a good- feeling atmosphere," Diaz said.

It's situated in the prominent Elk Grove Town Center, smack in the middle of town, next to the Village Green -- home to the village library and municipal hall.

Cucina Roma operated there for six years before closing two years ago.

Other establishments like Hooters and Hackney's showed interested in the spot, but no takers materialized until Topa came on the scene about five months ago, village officials said.

It was a relief to Elk Grove to fill up such prime real estate, but officials always believed the right tenant would come along, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said.

Fortunately for the village, the center's occupancy rate has held steady for the past few years at 95 percent, so having one open spot in that particular strip mall was tolerable for awhile, he said.

But that wasn't always the case.

About eight to 10 years ago, the occupancy rate hovered between 60 percent and 70 percent, Johnson said.

He attributes the turnaround to a better economy and residents' desire to buy goods and eat closer to home.

"I think people in Elk Grove want to shop in Elk Grove, and we're seeing more people who want to stay close," Johnson said.

While the space ultimately proved fatal for Cucina Roma, that fate is unlikely for Topa due to inherent differences between the two establishments, Johnson said.

Cucina Roma offered pricier fare and a narrower menu than Topa is expected to put forward, Johnson said.

And Cucina Roma had other problems.

While its main dining room was consistently full at lunch, the dinner crowd fell off significantly, Johnson said. Then, its take-out business, Pronto Roma, in a storefront attached to the main dining room, floundered.

Johnson said managers had wanted to keep the restaurant and close down Pronto, hoping to pay less on rent, but a deal was never successfully brokered.

So now, it's Topa's turn to make a place for itself in Elk Grove, Diaz said.

"I think it will work," Diaz said about Topa. "We are giving a good value at a reasonable price, and there will be two young guys there with a passion for what they do."