Lou Malnati's in Schaumburg to expand

An expansion of the long-standing Lou Malnati's restaurant in the heart of Schaumburg will be the side benefit of a reconfiguration of the village-owned parking lot that serves it.

Schaumburg trustees Tuesday approved both the land swap and redevelopment plans that pave the way for improvements to the public and private properties at the southeast corner of Schaumburg and Roselle roads.

Lou Malnati's has agreed to give the village its adjacent Turret House in exchange for the former furniture store at 9 S. Roselle Road, which will be demolished to accommodate the restaurant's expansion.

All the work is expected to be done this year, before the holidays, and will never require the restaurant to close, said Pat Keuth, director of construction for Lou Malnati's.

Though somewhat outside the Woodfield commercial district, Keuth said Lou Malnati's never had any doubts about reinvesting in a location that has been very good for it.

"We love this location," Keuth said. "We've been there for 25 years, and we intend to stay for another 25 years."

He added that the restaurant has been particularly proud to see and be a part of a major rehab of the intersection of Schaumburg and Roselle roads during the past two decades.

The area is generally known as Olde Schaumburg Centre, and the major redevelopment known as Town Square lies on the opposite, southwest corner.

Keuth said the main reason for the planned expansion is not to significantly add capacity to the restaurant, but to give it a friendlier, more useful layout.

In phases, a new kitchen will be built where the furniture store now stands, and the waiting area for carryout customers will be more convenient and not compete for space with those dining in.

Additionally, there will be two new handicapped-accessible restrooms on the first floor and a handicapped-accessible ramp from the parking lot.

That village-owned parking lot also will remain open during the process of its reconfiguration.

Though there may be brief periods of inconvenience during the parking lot project, the end results both inside and outside the building will be well worth it, Keuth said.