The decision to move Schmalz Deli to Lisle after a nearly 17-year run in Naperville is a done deal, its CEO says.
Closing on the purchase of the new site at 3011 Ogden Ave., formerly Chinn’s 34th Street Fishery restaurant, will happen in the early part of this month and renovation work will begin shortly thereafter, Mark Goodman said.
The goal is to have the current strip mall location at 1512 N. Naper Blvd. closed by year’s end and the new store/restaurant open in January.
“We’re excited to be moving forward with this and can’t wait to get this started,” Goodman said.
The larger, stand-alone site will allow Schmaltz to offer a full-service, sit-down restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner, a drive-thru window for food pickups and retail space for grab-and-go orders and groceries. Goodman said they will also have private room space for rentals.
Schmaltz needed to clear several things with the Lisle Village Board, the last of which was approval for the drive-thru, which was awarded in June. The village is also providing an $85,000 grant toward the $1.8 million purchase and renovation price.
Goodman said they plan to select a contractor later this month and construction should start in August.
The work needed is fairly extensive, including interior and exterior improvements and design changes, construction of the drive-thru and larger kitchen area, and converting the old restaurant’s bar space into the retail area, he said.
They’ll also be launching a new website this summer to showcase its new menu and to show the renovation work as it progresses, Goodman said.
“(There’s been) a lot of research and development work and menu work,” he said. “But this will all be a part of what will happen over the next six months.”
Schmaltz opened in Naperville in November 2004 and added a second smaller location in Wheaton in 2020.
Goodman has said he would like to expand the deli to other suburbs and it’s possible they could open another Naperville location in the future.
raguerrero@tribpub.com
