Plan for patio at Elburn eatery meets resistance

Plans to add an outdoor patio to an Elburn restaurant turned into a discussion about noise and underage drinking at a recent village board meeting.

The owners of Emma's Pub and Cantina need a special use permit and a reclassification of their liquor license to build the al fresco dining area. The pub opened in November.

"I'm still concerned about the precedent here if we allowed it," Elburn Police Chief James Linane recently told village trustees.

Owners Mike and Kay Alvarez, who also own Miguel's on the Fox in downtown St. Charles, insist their proposed patio would not be a place just for alcohol.

"It's for families," Mike Alvarez told village officials, explaining there would be a manager on duty outside at all times.

Eventually, the Alvarezes would like to gut the space above Emma's for a dining room to turn the pub into a full-scale restaurant featuring Mexican and American food. They also plan to revamp the menu at Miguel's.

"We want them to be exactly the same," Mike Alvarez said of the two restaurants.

Village President Jim Willey said he would "like to see more restaurant development on that main block" but is concerned about safety.

"It has to be secured to minors in some fashion," he said.

Emma's currently has a liquor license for a bar establishment but needs a restaurant/liquor license if the patio is approved.

In the meantime, village staff is surveying neighboring communities' ordinances regarding beer gardens and other al fresco dining/drinking establishments to present a similar ordinance to Elburn officials.

"We have to look at larger communities and create language that applies to the entire community," Willey said.

He added: "It's probably many steps from being figured out. Other communities have done it; we just haven't gotten there."