Gluten-free restaurant's opening delayed in East Dundee

Operators say it could be a while before a new "alternative fast-food" restaurant is up and running in East Dundee.

Engineering-related conflicts with the village have delayed the opening of Green Bean, a restaurant that offers foods free of GMO, gluten, nuts and high-fructose syrup, said managing partner Aaron Bush.

Contractors broke ground at 455 E. Main St. in June, at which point the walk-up, drive-through restaurant was scheduled to open last month.

But progress on what was supposed to be Green Bean's first location was stalled in early July, when the village's engineering firm asked restaurant operators to correct a number of engineering issues and site concerns, Village Administrator Bob Skurla told trustees Monday.

Work on the site had been halted ever since, he said, and the area has been fenced off.

"It really looks bad," Trustee Jeff Lynam said. "It's really unsightly, what we've got over there."

Though declining to detail the village's requests, Bush said he was given a "long list" of concerns regarding the site becoming viable restaurant.

But Economic Development Director Doug Bergren said those issues aren't insurmountable.

"Very rarely will any type of project like this be a smooth, smooth operation," he said. "I've got faith in this. It's going to be pushed back a bit, but to be honest, it's nothing that can't be overcome."

In the meantime, Green Bean is instead opening its first location in Chicago this month, Bush said. He always hoped to open additional sites, including one in Chicago, but the issues with the East Dundee property sped up that process, he said.

"We needed to get a restaurant done because we wanted to get our idea out there," he said.

Bergren said he spoke with Bush on Tuesday morning and hopes to continue moving forward with an East Dundee location.

"We have a good relationship with East Dundee," Bush said. "We have open lines of communication with certain people at the village, and I'm sure they'll help us out. We'll be able to come to a conclusion at some point."

However, he said, he doesn't have a timeline for when construction will resume or when the restaurant may open.

"We might have to wait a while," he said.

Bush agreed to clean up the site and continue discussions with village officials and engineers, he said.

"We like East Dundee," Bush said. "We want to be part of the community here, so we hope we can work things out."