Schaumburg Indian Grill to expand, add drive-through

One of the largest of Schaumburg's free-standing restaurant buildings is about to grow even larger.

Schaumburg Indian Grill, which occupies the ground floor of the 22,000-square-foot building at 1301 American Lane, has received village approval for a 940-square-foot addition and drive-through at its northwest corner.

The restaurant shares the building with Schaumburg Banquet, which operates on the second floor. Both businesses are owned by Satish Ambati, who acquired the site in 2019.

Opened as Entourage in 2006, the building subsequently housed David Burke's Grillhouse and then The Clubhouse before Ambati's two restaurants.

Though the building's size has at times made its vacancy seem daunting to fill, Schaumburg Economic Development Director Matt Frank said discussions with Ambati began soon after the January 2018 closing of The Clubhouse. Frank praised the newly approved project's ingenuity for catering to take-away customers.

"I know he's trying to be creative to build a following," Frank said. "I give him all the credit in the world as an entrepreneur."

Ambati confirmed that the expansion is a product of adaptations the restaurant industry has had to make because of COVID-19.

"It's an answer to the pandemic," he said. "We lost more than 60% of business due to the pandemic."

Along with drive-through, the addition includes a counter where orders will be taken and seating for 32 customers.

Schaumburg Indian Grill serves dishes such as samosas, vegetable and chicken biryani and tandoor bread, as well as quick lunches.

Through its coming partnership with the Peet's Coffee "Proudly Pouring" program, the restaurant also will serve a select list of beverages and muffins which complement its existing menu with craft coffee, tea and espresso beverages.

Ambati said he hopes to have the addition completed by winter, depending on the availability of building materials.

Among the hundreds of restaurants operating in Schaumburg at the start of the pandemic, only about a dozen have closed, Frank said.