Palatine's Idol's closes its doors
Though signs at the entryway still advertise a Thanksgiving Eve party with promises of U-Call-It specials and an opportunity to meet the Miller Girls, Idol's Sports Bar and Grill has served its last drink.
The village of Palatine's Nov. 23 deadline came and went without owner Michael Koumandarakis successfully appealing his March 2010 felony conviction for criminal damage to property exceeding $300. As a result, Koumandarakis can no longer hold a liquor license in the village.
“Idol's has shut its doors for business,” Palatine Assistant Village Manager Sam Trakas said Wednesday. “There's been no indication from the current building owners what's going to happen next.”
Palatine's Local Liquor Control Commission last week denied Koumandarakis' request for an additional month with his license while he waited for Lake County Associate Judge Daniel Shanes to hear his post-conviction petition seeking to overturn the conviction.
The time extension would have been moot, however, because one of the 48-year-old Lake Barrington man's attorneys managed to schedule a hearing Nov. 18, only to see Shanes to deny the petition, according to Lake County court records.
Koumandarakis was found guilty of misdemeanor battery and felony criminal damage to property in connection with a June 2008 incident with some people involved in a dispute with his son. Records say he ran to their car with a walking stick, busting out windows and breaking off the rear view mirror.
He was sentenced to 18 months probation, 125 hours public service and ordered to pay $1,000 restitution.
Koumandarakis attorney William Mantas said he couldn't comment on the criminal case, but confirmed Idol's is closed and that the bar owner turned in the license.
Established in 1994 at Rand and Dundee roads, Idol's has been plagued over the years by numerous violations and police visits.
The problems became so pervasive that in 2002 the village ordered Idol's to comply with a number of conditions in order to keep its liquor license. Among them was a ban on employees drinking with patrons and implementation of a gang awareness program coordinated with the police department.
At a June liquor commission the village claimed Idol's hadn't complied with the 2002 order.
The financial impact of Idol's closing will have is unknown since state statute prohibits the village from revealing how much sales tax revenue the bar generates, Deputy Village Manager Mike Jacobs said.
The village maintains on its website a listing of available rental, commercial and industrial properties as a tool to help attract new business.
“We do our best to facilitate available properties, but at this point we don't know what the plan is,” Jacobs said.