Former Palatine KFC to become new chicken restaurant

A long-vacant Palatine KFC will soon serve a different style of chicken.

The restaurant, at 1114 E. Dundee Road, is about to become El Rey del Pollo Asado, the third Mexican grilled chicken restaurant in the suburbs from owner Alfredo Jaimes. The others are El Rey del Pollo Asado at 505 S. Green Bay Road, Waukegan, and La Casa del Pollo Asado, 221 National St., Elgin.

An opening date has not been set, but according to documents filed with the village, the restaurant will employ 15 people, have indoor seating and a drive-through lane and be open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Palatine village council approved the plan on the condition that Jaimes would replace the fence behind the restaurant that serves as a barrier between commercial and residential zones.

The restaurant, expected to open soon, comes at a time of great change along Dundee Road. The state-run project to resurface and possibly change the median in the middle of the busy street is expected to continue for several months.

Village Manager Reid Ottesen discouraged requiring Jaimes to make major changes to his plan based on the project.

"I don't want to be interfering on a private transaction, especially on a state project they told us originally was going to be done three years ago," he told councilmen Monday night.

The council requested that a condition be added saying that the owner not object to any cross-access easements to the neighboring businesses, a car wash to its east and a vacant retail store to its west.

Jaimes told the council that he was aware of the project and would accept their conditions.

The KFC went out of business in 2009.