Wheel Haus restaurant coming to Wheeling Town Center

The entrepreneurs behind the Moretti’s chain are planning to open another restaurant in the Wheeling Town Center complex.

The Wheel Haus is proposed for a roughly 6,600-square-foot building on the 300 block of West Dundee Road, just south of Moretti’s.

Most of the building had been occupied by Mia’s Cantina, which closed in April after less than five years in business. Arctic Spoon operates in part of the building and will close to make way for the Wheel Haus at summer’s end, said Len Becker, Wheeling’s economic development director.

An October opening is anticipated, Becker said. While a menu hasn’t been determined, Becker described the Wheel Haus concept as a neighborhood pub.

Moretti’s opened in Wheeling Town Center in March and was an immediate hit. Patrons have wanted to host parties and other types of gatherings at the restaurant, Becker said, but it doesn’t have the space for it. The Wheel Haus will fill that need, he said.

Wheel Haus will have its own menu but also offer Moretti’s menu items for groups and parties, Becker said.

The restaurants’ parent company, À La Carte Entertainment, has proposed purchasing the building for $1 million and making $500,000 in improvements, documents indicate.

“We’re really happy Moretti’s continues to make the investment,” Becker said before the meeting.

À La Carte Entertainment is requesting a property tax break from Cook County to offset the cost of the purchase and renovations. Wheeling trustees on Monday recommended a 12-year reduction in the property’s assessment rate. Approval from the Cook County Board is required.

The maneuver, relatively common in Cook County, is designed to encourage development of vacant, abandoned or rundown properties.

The regular assessment rate for commercial property in Cook County is 25% of the fair market value. The proposed break would reduce the assessment rate to 10% for the first 10 years, to 15% for the 11th year and to 20% for the 12th year.

If approved, the incentive likely would cut the property's annual tax bill by about $75,000 the first year and by about $823,000 over the 12-year length of the discount, Becker said.

Without the tax break, À La Carte Entertainment won’t buy the spaces or open the restaurant, documents indicate.