Palatine approves bakery’s plan for outdoor dining, beer and wine sales

A Polish bakery and deli in Palatine will be giving its customers space to sit down and enjoy its artisan breads, sandwiches and pierogi, then wash them down with a beer.

The Palatine village council Monday granted the Kolatek Baking Company, 1916 N. Rand Road, approval for indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a liquor license to serve beer and wine.

Council members also gave the bakery a parking variation permitting it to operate with 23 spaces rather than the 29 required under village code.

The plan calls for the business to use a portion of the bakery space on a seasonal basis for indoor dining. Shelving areas will be reduced to make way for four tables, in addition to two existing tables near the vestibule. Altogether, there will be 22 indoor seats.

Outdoor seating will be provided through four tables with 12 seats on the sidewalk in front of the shop.

After operating successfully in Chicago since 1986, Kolatek opened a second location in Palatine in 2018.

“We make everything for takeout now,” part-owner Bartlomiej Kolatek said. “So, we want to offer a place where (customers) can sit down and actually eat at a table, not in a parked car in front of the store. Because that's what we're seeing a lot.”

Kolatek said the shelving likely would be moved back during the bakery’s peak period.

“We're not really expecting a lot of customers to dine in during the peak period for our bakery, which is Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter,” he said.