‘Tasty’ is translation for new fast casual Greek restaurant in Arlington Heights
The owner of the suburban Chasers sports bar chain plans to open a fast casual Greek restaurant in Arlington Heights in the next two weeks.
Peter Dalamangas, who also owns Rand Road House in Des Plaines and a series of gambling cafes, is bringing Nostimo — which means “tasty” in Greek — to 286 W. Rand Road.
The menu will have a host of specialties made Grecian style — from gyros and chicken to lamb chops and pork — with a number of ingredients imported from Greece, such as pita bread, feta cheese, olives and yogurt.
Dalamangas hopes to fill a niche between high-end Greek restaurants — his chef worked for such establishments in Las Vegas, London, Manhattan and Miami — and the more common greasy spoons scattered about the suburbs.
“There’s really not any high-quality fast food,” Dalamangas said.
Customers would place orders at the front counter, and servers will bring food to tables. Dalamangas removed a bar that had been in the restaurant as part of a complete interior renovation, but applied for a Class AA liquor license that will allow for the sale of beer, wine and liquor.
Before their unanimous approval of the license Monday night, village board members questioned Dalamangas about past incidents at his bars. That included a January 2021 fight outside the Des Plaines bar in which two men were charged with felony involuntary manslaughter after a third man’s death.
Dalamangas replied there’s been few incidents over the course of his 32 years in the hospitality industry.
“What happens outside — the people that come in — we really cannot control,” he said. “If you look at it, none of them are caused by an employee or something that we could have changed.”
Trustee Robin LaBedz said she appreciated Dalamangas’ explanation about an incident at Chasers in Lake Zurich, where a bartender refused to serve a customer who appeared to be intoxicated. As that person was being escorted out of the bar, a gun the man was carrying went off.
Mayor Tom Hayes, the local liquor commissioner, noted Arlington Heights police conduct annual stings for possible underage sales at every business holding a liquor license.
Hayes slapped a $750 fine on the last business at Nostimo’s new location, Blitz Sports Bar & BBQ, for staying open past its permitted 2 a.m. weekend closing time. The December 2022 incident was a rare operating hours violation of the local liquor code.
“We have a very strict set of local liquor laws and we enforce them very readily,” Hayes told Dalamangas. “This location has had a bad reputation in the last year or so. We’re hoping that you’re going to change the business model there.”
Dalamangas said he has never been cited or fined for underage sales, and his management team is certified to sell alcohol under the Illinois BASSET program. He says his clientele will be families; operating hours are planned until 9 or 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends.