CMX CinéBistro in Wheeling receives permission to add games to dining area
CMX CinéBistro Wheeling will have a couple of additional entertainment options whenever it is allowed to reopen.
Wheeling village board members recently approved an amendment to CMX's special-use permit that allows installation of three pool tables and two shuffleboard tables within the dining area of the theater's full-service restaurant.
"To be clear, CMX is not proposing to change its hours of operation nor is it seeking an Illinois gaming license," Northbrook attorney Daniel Shapiro wrote in a letter to Wheeling officials. "The lounge and full-service restaurant will continue to be open to the general public."
A luxury movie theater covering 40,000 square feet, CMX CinéBistro became the Wheeling Town Center's largest tenant when it opened in mid-February. The commercial and residential complex is at Dundee Road and Northgate Parkway.
However, the theater had to temporarily shut down not long after the debut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with CMX Cinemas locations in Arlington Heights and Skokie.
Each seven-screen theater at CinéBistro has extra-wide lush leather reclining seats with swing tables for food and beverage service. There also is a bar and lounge with amenities including large-screen televisions.
Before receiving approval for the theater's revised plan, Shapiro told Wheeling officials that CMX hopes to have flexibility to substitute similar games in the dining area to respond to customer feedback and demand.
CMX will have fewer four-top tables under the new setup to accommodate the pool and shuffleboard tables, but more two-seaters and an additional booth, according to the company. CMX CinéBistro is open only to patrons 21 and older after 8 p.m.
Other tenants at Wheeling Town Center include Starbucks, Inland Bank, AT&T and City Works. The complex has about 100,000 square feet of commercial space across 16 acres.