Banquet hall proposed for Palatine strip mall on Dundee Road
An Itasca couple wants to launch a banquet hall in empty space previously used for similar operations in a Palatine strip mall.
Citlallin Lara and Jorge Mauricio would open Excellence Banquets Inc. in Plaza La Rosita on Dundee Road at Baldwin Road. If the proposal gains Palatine village council approval, the banquet hall would accommodate a maximum of 300 guests.
Palatine's advisory zoning board of appeals members this week recommended a special-use permit be granted for the facility to operate. The village council will get the final word on the plan after receiving the zoning panel's recommendation.
Zoning board of appeals Chairperson Jan Wood said there was no history of problems from the two previous banquet facilities that operated in the same 7,500-square-foot space where Excellence would open in Plaza La Rosita. The most recent business, Rosa Bella Banquet Hall, closed in early 2018.
"I think it's a great location and a great use there," Wood said of the Excellence proposal. "We need to have these types of facilities, so I think that's wonderful."
Proposed conditions for Excellence Banquets to abide by include providing security until 1 a.m. Monday through Friday and 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, or 30 minutes after closing, whichever is later. The security plan would have to be coordinated with Palatine police.
Mauricio said he supervised indoor and outside security workers at the Casa Lara restaurant and banquet facility in Elgin that his wife owned from 2008 to 2015.
Casa Lara stopped serving food because of kitchen problems and didn't renew its Elgin license to sell alcohol when it was up for renewal in 2015, city officials said at a liquor control commission hearing that year.
Excellence Banquets would handle a variety of celebratory and corporate events in Palatine. Along with typical banquet fare, such as lemon chicken and pasta, the proposed menu would have Mexican cooking with dishes including pork chops in green sauce, cactus and refried beans.
Brandi's Banquets opened in the Plaza La Rosita space in 2009 after addressing initial opposition from nearby condominium residents who had traffic, noise and safety concerns. Brandi's lasted four years until Rosa Bella took over and operated until early 2018.
In supporting the Excellence plan, zoning board of appeals member Kevin Cavanaugh cited the restaurant experience of Lara and Mauricio and said it appears they have done much due diligence for the Palatine space.
"I think they can operate a facility that will not cause any harm or anything to the area," Cavanaugh said. "And they certainly have done a lot of work with the village and, specifically, the police department, to make sure that this will meet all the standards."