Are you a food vendor looking for new digs? Then East Dundee has two words for you: All aboard!
Currently, village officials are seeking proposals from businesses to rent and operate the caboose concession stand, 112 Railroad Street.
Built in 1952 for the Milwaukee Road Railroad, the repurposed train car has been serving food and beverages in East Dundee since May of 2015. The caboose is situated on an actual set of railroad tracks, with a vintage railroad crossing sign posted nearby.
The current tenant is Dundee Depot Dogs. But Jim Stanula, who operates the hot dog stand, indicated to the village he wanted to divest himself from the lease and bring in another operator, according to village officials.
The village extended his contract for 30 days while he was working on negotiations, but in February denied Stanula a second lease extension, opting instead to put out a new request for proposals.
“We have had a good handful of potential operators contact the village,” said Jennifer Johnsen, East Dundee’s deputy village administrator. “At this point, the current operator is still interested and may submit a proposal as well. But we’ve opened it up to additional operators that would like to submit because of the interest we’ve received.”
The request for proposal includes terms such as requiring the operator to run the village-owned caboose at least eight hours a day, six days a week, from April 1 to Oct. 31, according to village documents. The operator must also agree to be open during community and village events and functions.
Required submittals with the application include a business plan, with a suggested menu, pricing, and financial estimates, as well as plans for marketing and security, according to village documents. The operator would be required to pay the village a minimum monthly rent of 11.5 percent of gross sales.
Village President Lael Miller is the brainchild behind bringing the caboose to the village. Because the bike path running through East Dundee was once part of the Chicago-Northwestern train line, he liked the idea of making it home to a train of sorts once again.
As for who would be an ideal candidate for the site, Johnsen said the village is “open to new ideas.”
“We’re looking for somebody who would really embrace the caboose as a tourist attraction,” she said. “It is not a moneymaker for the village. It’s an attraction to draw visitors to the village of East Dundee.”
She added there would be a preference for businesses who use local food and whose menu does not compete with the existing businesses.
Many who have shown interest in the site are experienced in the restaurant business, Johnsen said.
“So that is good news for us,” she said. “We hope that we will have more. You never know. It’s a unique business venture.”
The village hopes to have the caboose open by spring.
Proposals must be submitted to the village by 4 p.m. Monday, March 20. For information, go to http://www.eastdundee.net/.
Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
