Schaumburg making bars close earlier on weekends — but not until May 24
Schaumburg trustees agreed Tuesday to change closing time for late-night bars and restaurants from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends, but they delayed the effective date until May 24 at the request of the only business to send a representative to the vote.
The recommendation for the change came from Mayor Tom Dailly, who also serves as the village's liquor commissioner. He said 2 a.m. is late enough for most bars to stay open on Saturday and Sunday mornings and that later closing times provide temptation for patrons to make poor choices.
Five restaurants in Schaumburg have liquor licenses allowing them to stay open until 3 a.m. on weekends, but the restaurant that requested the 60-day extension isn't one of them.
Méze Mediterráneo at 680 Mall Drive, west of Streets of Woodfield shopping center, currently closes at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
General Manager Jennifer Scarpelli said she went to the village board meeting to request an extension on behalf of the restaurant's owner, who is recovering from surgery and didn't have time to respond to the proposed change. But she couldn't speak to his reasons for the request.
“We're going to get together and talk about it further,” Scarpelli said.
The five businesses affected by the change are Drink Nightclub, 871 E. Algonquin Road; Buddy's Bites N Brews, 1540 N. Roselle Road; Terminal 5 Club, 1120 S. Roselle Road; Escape Lounge & Sports Bar, 801 E. Algonquin Road; and The Hideout, 1230 Valley Lake Drive, Unit D.
Both Drink and Buddy's are owned by Schaumburg-based Ala Carte Entertainment, whose Vice President Mark Hoffmann said earlier this month that he respects the village's decision.
Jennifer Strang, owner of The Hideout, said the proposed change came as a shock. But though she knows there will be some financial impact to her business, she didn't have enough information to analyze it and present a good argument to the village board on Tuesday night, she said.
Strang said that any decision on a closing time for everyone is arbitrary and that nearby businesses in unincorporated areas — such as The Coach House Bar & Grill at 1626 E. Algonquin Road that stays open to 4 a.m. every day — were likely to profit.
But she jokingly tried to see the beer glass as half full.
“It makes it easier on me,” Strang said. “I get to go home earlier.”
Representatives of Escape Lounge and Terminal 5 could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The trustees' vote doesn't alter the current permission to serve alcohol until 1 a.m. on weekdays by businesses holding such a license.