Mundelein BBQ joint gets $1,500 village grant for lighting upgrades
A barbecue restaurant on the edge of downtown Mundelein will receive a municipal grant to help pay for new interior light fixtures.
Smokin BBQ on 45, which operates in the Hawley Lake Plaza at 428 N. Lake St., was awarded up to $1,500 by the village board Monday night.
The money will come from Mundelein’s Stimulate, Training, Assist and Recover program, or STAR program. Launched in 2022 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the STAR program makes grants of up to $5,000 available to business owners.
Grants cover up to half the total cost of an improvement project.
Smokin BBQ on 45 opened in 2020 as a takeout-only joint. It expanded into a vacant, adjacent storefront in 2021 to offer sit-down service.
The restaurant’s current lighting system was left over by the previous tenant, village documents indicate. The work is expected to cost about $2,800.
The village board approved the grant with a 4-0 vote. Trustees Kara Lambert and Tony Ugaste were absent.
The grant is the restaurant’s second from the village. It got $14,630 from Mundelein’s Business Incentive Grant program to help fund the 2021 expansion and renovation.
Under the BIG program, grants of up to $25,000 for interior improvements and up to $25,000 for exterior improvements are available.