The Biz Week That Was: Marijuana sales dip, new restaurants, and high-tech kitchen gadgets among highlights
Illinois marijuana tax haul down nearly 4% from previous year despite record sales
Sales taxes collected from recreational marijuana purchases in 2023 were down nearly 4% from the previous years, Illinois Department of Revenue records show. The state collected more than $417 million last year, down from almost $434 million in 2022, state revenue records show. That’s despite a report from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation released Thursday that touted record sales of cannabis in 2023 at $1.6 billion.
At CES 2024, tech companies are transforming the kitchen with AI and robots that do the cooking
Chef-like robots, AI-powered appliances and other high-tech kitchen gadgets are holding out the promise that humans don't need to cook — or mix drinks — for themselves anymore. There was plenty new in the food and beverage world at CES 2024, the multi-day trade event put on by the Consumer Technology Association. Displays included cocktail-mixing and ice cream-making machines akin to a Keurig, and a robot barista whose movements are meant to mimic a human making a vanilla latte.
Polish grocery store replacing vacant Joseph’s Marketplace in Crystal Lake
The Polish grocery store KD Market aims to open this summer in the vacant building that previously was Joseph’s Marketplace in Crystal Lake. The new KD Market in Crystal Lake, 29 Crystal Lake Court, will be its fifth location, with other stores in Schaumburg, Wheeling, Mount Prospect and Schiller Park. This location would be the largest at about 41,000 square feet, Crystal Lake Economic Development Manager Heather Maieritsch said.
New restaurants coming to the suburbs in 2024
A slew of new restaurants are slated to open in the suburbs in 2024. We give you a taste of what’s to come, including Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille on the perimeter of the Hawthorn mall campus in Vernon Hills, Ancho & Agave in Deer Park Town Center, Brazilian churrascaria Bullvino’s at The Promenade Bolingbrook, and three new restaurants in Yorktown Center Lombard.
Park Tavern, one of original venues of Rosemont entertainment district, closes
One of the original venues of Rosemont’s entertainment district, Park Tavern has closed, and the village is paying the owner $1 million to buy out the remainder of its lease. Once a popular destination for upscale bar food and the late-night party scene, Park Tavern officially shut its doors at 2 p.m. New Year’s Day, village officials said.
New Mundelein restaurant celebrates American classics with global flair
About a year ago, Anmol Chandock, a first-generation Indian American with family roots in restaurants, opened Singh’s Kitchen in downtown Libertyville. A chiropractor who practices in town, Chandock’s second endeavor, Lucky Bites Bar & Grill, opened Monday at 605 N. Midlothian Road in a Mundelein strip center. It offers a casino-inspired atmosphere and a menu that celebrates American classics like wings, pizza, wraps and burgers.