La Grange Missing Out Due To Liquor Rule: Official

LA GRANGE, IL – A pair of La Grange trustees said Monday they wanted to discuss changing the village's longstanding rule limiting liquor sales at its restaurants.

At a Village Board meeting, trustees Glenn Thompson and Beth Augustine urged the board to revisit the local regulation capping restaurants' liquor sales to 40 percent of their income.

Thompson noted a Patch story about a new cocktail bar, The Opry, opening in Western Springs.

"The Opry is noted as a cocktail bar, a coffee shop, a pastry shop and having musical acts," Thompson said. "This is a business that could not currently exist in La Grange. And it is going to bring large tax revenue to the village of Western Springs. We're missing out on this."

He said he would "hate to see Western Springs become the destination city for what entertainment our new residents, those moving from the city, are looking to have."

Western Springs, he said, has found a way to attract upscale entertainment. He said he feared La Grange would just be a place for dinner, not for fun.

As she has before, Augustine also called for the village to consider loosening the 40 percent rule.

She said restaurants have served the community well, but many see the village's rule as antiquated and potentially a deterrent for restaurateurs.

Monday's board meeting was the first in nearly a month. It lasted a half hour.

Because the board had little business on its agenda, Augustine said it was an opportunity for the board to have scheduled discussions on issues of public interest.

Such matters include downtown parking, the village's code and the leaf pickup program, among other things, she said.

"Chickens, of course. Insert laugh here, but it's something that a lot of folks would like to see us discuss," she said. "They are certainly not my pet projects, but these are items that many residents and businesses have asked about and are anxious to see us discuss."