New restaurant to get $400,000 boost from Mundelein
A veteran Mundelein restaurateur is set to get a $400,000 boost from the village to open a new eatery in the core of the downtown area.
The deal, tentatively approved by the village board Monday night, includes a $200,000 payment to business owner Jack Bowes to offset renovation costs at the future Smoke House Bar & Grill, 506 N. Seymour Ave. The village also will rebate portions of the sales tax and gambling tax generated by the restaurant.
Board approval of a formal incentive agreement will be needed down the road. Setting the incentive terms now allows Bowes to get started on the renovation with confidence in the deal, Village Administrator Eric Guenther said.
Bowes and his family long have been part of Mundelein’s restaurant scene. They own Emil’s Sports Bar & Pizzeria, 604 N. Lake St., and the Crossroads of Ivanhoe restaurant, 20915 Park Ave., as well as restaurants outside the village.
The Bowes family already has acquired the two-story building on the northwest corner of Seymour and Park Street where Smoke House will be established.
The building was home to Abernathy’s Department Store for decades until it closed in 2007. Corner Health Foods now operates in part of the building, at 502 N. Seymour Ave., and it will remain, Bowes said.
The building is just east of a short strip of Park Street that closes to auto traffic each spring so restaurants there can serve patrons alfresco during warmer months. The outdoor dining area has become a popular attraction and has led to other positive changes, including the creation of a public gathering space on the block.
During a presentation to the village board Monday night, Bowes credited Mundelein officials for turning that neighborhood “into quite a destination for dining and entertainment.”
“And we’d like to be part of that,” he added.
The proposed $200,000 upfront payment would be delivered once Bowes provides receipts for construction expenses totaling that amount, documents indicate. Additionally, the village is set to give Bowes half its share of the sales tax and gambling tax generated by Smoke House for seven years or until each sum reaches $100,000.
Bowes said he hopes to open Smoke House in November. The renovation has begun.
Mayor Steve Lentz said officials are excited about the proposal.
“We appreciate you being in Mundelein,” Lentz said.