Ancho & Agave restaurant planned at former Red Robin site in Deer Park
A chain restaurant serving Mexican cuisine is expected to take over a vacant space in the Deer Park Town Center complex.
If plans progress, Ancho & Agave will renovate the free-standing, 9,132-square-foot building at 20506 N. Rand Road that last was occupied by Red Robin. The hamburger joint with the catchy "yum" jingle closed in 2021 after about a decade of service.
Indoor and outdoor seating and a large, central bar are proposed, Village Administrator Beth McAndrews said. The restaurant will have about 100 employees and a maximum occupancy of about 230 people, she said.
It would be the first Ancho & Agave in the Chicago area.
"We are tremendously excited about Ancho & Agave coming to the Deer Park Town Center," McAndrews said. "(It will) bring an exciting design and dining experience."
A summer 2024 opening is planned, McAndrews said.
Before that can happen, however, the village board needs to sign off on the concept.
An important step in that process could occur Thursday night when the board will consider amending the land-use plan for Deer Park Town Center to allow Ancho & Agave. A permit for outdoor seating awaits approval Thursday, too.
The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the village's Vehe Barn, 23570 W. Cuba Road.
Ancho & Agave is owned by the same company that operates Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano, which is at 20560 N. Rand Road in Deer Park Town Center.
Other restaurants in the sprawling shopping center include California Pizza Kitchen, La Hacienda de los Fernandez and Tokio Sake & Grill.
Ancho & Agave eateries also operate in downstate Bloomington, Wisconsin and Nebraska.