Italian steakhouse planned for downtown Grayslake
Grayslake trustees have approved an economic incentive deal for an Italian steakhouse proposed in the village's downtown that officials say could create at least 40 jobs.
Village board members at a meeting Tuesday evening formally approved granting $200,000 to assist the Bowes family with their plan for a currently vacant site at 127 and 129 Center St.
"We don't spend the money until they complete the work," Grayslake Mayor Rhett Taylor said Friday.
Assistant to the Village Manager Kevin Timony said the new eatery is projected to have 40 to 60 full- and part-time employees. About $3.5 million in private investment is expected for the establishment that would have a 250-seat capacity, he said.
Bob Bowes and his family have been on Lake County's dining scene for about 37 years with Emil's Pizza and Sports Bar in Mundelein. Emil's Tavern on Center was opened by the family in downtown Grayslake in 2010.
While a name has yet to be selected for the new place a few storefronts east from Emil's on Center, Bowes said, the cuisine already has been established. He said it'll be an Italian steakhouse, with an opening targeted for February or March.
"Steaks and pasta and fresh fish," Bowes said in elaborating on the likely menu Friday. "Fresh appetizers, small plates, craft beer and some fine wine."
Grayslake's latest eatery on Center Street would rise on the site previously occupied by Last Chance Saloon, which closed in 2013 and was demolished after the Bowes family bought the building in 2014.
Bowes said he expects the steakhouse to be a regional draw. Popular destinations already on Center Street include The Vine Martini and Wine Bar, and Cacao Sweets and Treats, which has received attention from Cooking Channel and other national media outlets.
Taylor said the village was able to offer an extra $100,000 for the economic incentive to the Bowes family because plans fell through for a renovation of the 99-year-old Cupola building at 2 S. Lake St. in downtown Grayslake.
Built in 1916, the vacant and tired-looking Cupola building originally was an automobile dealership and repair shop where Center Street ends at Lake Street in downtown Grayslake. Jay Kolli had intended to renovate the structure for a banquet hall to accommodate about 200 guests, but work never began.
"This summer he (Kolli) informed the village that he will no longer be moving forward with the project," Timony said. "We do not know of any other interested users for the building at this time."