Banquet facility proposed for former Buffalo Grove Outback Steakhouse site
A decade after Outback Steakhouse closed its Buffalo Grove location, the empty property at 720 W. Lake-Cook Road could receive new life as Epicure Dining, a restaurant and banquet facility.
Epicure Dining, LLC, is seeking village approval for the project. The planning and zoning commission will hear the request Wednesday and make a recommendation to the village board.
Epicure Dining is casting a wide cultural net to capture a number of culinary constituencies.
“Epicure Dining will be more than just a restaurant — it will be a gathering space that embraces the diversity of the Chicago area,” according to the business plan submitted to the village.
The menu would feature a vast array of diverse cultural cuisines, including Ukrainian, Russian, American, Polish, German and Hispanic options, using locally sourced ingredients and authentic international flavors. Planned dishes include borscht, chicken Kiev, grilled salmon, tuna salad, rack of lamb, blintzes with caviar, lobster ravioli, arugula salad, stuffed peppers, pierogi and goulash.
The plan calls for a 400-square-foot addition to the front of the existing 6,200-square-foot building at Lake-Cook and Weidner roads. The addition will enclose the covered porch, creating space for a vestibule, coat check and two small private dining areas.
An amendment to the existing planned unit development is needed, since the zoning allows restaurants but not banquet facilities. Epicure is also requesting a parking variation.
The Outback Steakhouse operated for 21 years before closing in 2015, and the building has remained vacant since then.
The existing building will undergo a face-lift to match the area's prairie-style architecture. Plans call for removing gables and front columns, then adding stucco finish and prairie-style columns.
Restaurant hours would run from noon to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, while Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays would be available for events from noon to 2 a.m.