Culver's restaurant proposed for Lincolnshire
A new Culver's may soon join Lincolnshire's restaurant-rich Milwaukee Avenue corridor.
The eatery - known for hamburgers, deep-fried cheese curds and frozen custard - has been proposed for vacant land near the northeast corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Route 22. It would be in the same shopping center as a Fresh Market grocery store that opened in 2013.
"We've always had a vision to develop the land around the Fresh Market, and this will be a nice way to do that," Lincolnshire Trustee Mara Grujanac said.
The project was publicly unveiled Monday night during the village board's committee of the whole meeting. The board took no action on the plan.
A 4,310-square-foot Culver's with a drive-through lane and an outdoor patio has been proposed.
The project needs the village board's approval because the restaurant would be part of an existing planned unit development known as the Lincolnshire Marketplace. The Fresh Market store is the only business there now, but there's room for several others, Village Manager Brad Burke said.
Additionally, a special-use permit would be needed for the drive-through lane. The village's architectural review board needs to consider plans for the facade, exterior lighting, parking and other elements.
If plans proceed, construction could begin by this fall, Burke said.
The proposed location is at the north end of what's become a restaurant row for Lincolnshire.
Among the eateries along the roughly milelong stretch of Milwaukee Avenue between Route 22 and Aptakisic Road are Cheesecake Factory, Kona Grill, Naf Naf Grill, McDonald's, Eddie Merlot's, Big Bowl, Strawberry Field, Sullivan's Steakhouse and Wildfire.
Grujanac said she's happy to see that corridor attract so many dining destinations for the people. Each restaurant brings something unique to the village, she said, and they've flourished.
"It certainly has become a great asset to our community," she said.
The Culver's chain launched in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin. More than 500 restaurants serve customers across the United States, most in the Midwest.
Nine Culver's franchises operate in Lake County. They're in Antioch, Buffalo Grove, Grayslake, Gurnee, Island Lake, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Mundelein and Zion.