New restaurant plans to be good neighbor in Algonquin

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que restaurant wants to take a bite out of Algonquin by opening a new eatery there.

The Minneapolis-based chain on Tuesday presented plans to create a roughly 65,000-square-foot restaurant at the southwest corner of County Line and Randall roads inside the Galleria.

The village's committee of the whole, which reviewed the plans, agreed to pass them on to the board of trustees for a final vote.

When the restaurant that eventually opens in Algonquin, it will be tailor-made to meet the village's tastes, said senior Village Planner Katie Parkhurst. The company scraped the flame pattern and flying pig that grace its other stores, she said. In addition, the building's actual colors will be muted and not the yellow it's known for.

Trustees Jerry Glogowski and Debby Sosine praised Famous Dave's willingness to fit into the community.

"It's very nice," Sosine said of the changes.

Trustee Brian Dianis questioned whether the smoke generated from grills would annoy neighbors.

The company's design manager, John Britton, said fans and vents clean the smoke before it's released into the air, a process that helps cut down on the smell of simmering meat.

"I think generally we're good neighbors," he said.

If that's not good enough, assistant Village Manager Jeffrey Mihelich suggested that members ask the company to do more when it comes to handling the potential issue.

Famous Dave's, known for its barbecue sandwiches, baby back ribs and burgers, operates 160 restaurants nationwide, including one in neighboring Carpentersville.

Britton said he didn't know what impact the Algonquin store, due to open sometime this summer, would have on the Carpentersville economy. In recent years, other businesses, including the Gap, Wickes Furniture and the Bombay Company have left Spring Hill Mall, a portion of which is in Carpentersville, for spots at Algonquin Commons.

Though Britton admitted that Algonquin's demographics are attractive, he shot down the notion that company leaders intend to close the Carpentersville Famous Dave's to start over in Algonquin.

"There aren't any plans for that at the moment," he said.