Rose Garden Cafe, the popular restaurant specializing in Grecian food and breakfast classics, is moving within Elk Grove Village at 800 E Higgins Rd.
The long-standing family-owned diner will move into the former home of Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue, which recently closed. The Pontikis family have agreed to cancel their lease early at the current location at 111 E. Higgins Rd. Mayor Johnson tells the Daily Herald this is a better option than the village having to buy out Rose Garden’s lease at the Elk Grove Woods Plaza shopping center, which the village has spent nearly $20 million acquiring as part of a redevelopment.
“We’re so pleased that we will not be forced out by new development, but rather embraced and supported by the community,” Chris and Alex Pontikis said in a statement provided in a village news release.
The restaurant will obtain complete control of the building as long as it stays operating for five years. On top of that, the owners are receiving $400,000 from the village for remodeling. A town hall meeting is set for November 9th to discuss concepts from the Pontikis family, with the board expected to make a decision in January 2023. Once approved, construction could begin around Fall 2023, possibly Spring 2024.
“We don’t have a whole lot of restaurants in Elk Grove. We have few family-style restaurants like the Rose Garden,” said Johnson. “We always felt that was an important component of this community. So we’re partnering with them to make this happen.”
