More than a dozen years ago, Moiz Mohammed looked around Elgin and saw a void: No place on or near busy Randall Road at which parties and banquets — birthday celebrations, baby showers, wedding receptions — could be held.
“I had a vision, but was looking for the right opportunity,” Mohammed said.
That opportunity turned out to be a vacant bank building at 2000 Big Timber Road, which sat vacant for about 14 years until Mohammed bought it in November 2024.
After having contractors do an extensive remodel of the space, Mohammed is awaiting final inspections that will allow him to open the larger of two ballrooms and complete work on the second of his Red Rose Banquets locations.
“We’ve booked 10 events in Elgin so far, and hope to do 30 to 40 our first year,” he said.
Converting an old bank into a banquet facility involved removing outside ATM lanes, converting the drive-thru into a glass-and-brick extension of the building, removing safes and turning the vault into a bridal suite, its doors becoming an decorative part of the design.
“The extension was challenging as we had to pour in a new foundation to have glass windows all over the place and bricks/stones to match the existing structure,” he said. “It added three to four months of additional timeline.”
Mohammed envisions people using the extension or smaller ballroom for ceremonies, having refreshments served in a lobby area, and then moving to one of two ballrooms for dining and dancing. The plan is to only hold one reception at a time, with the setup able to accommodate 50 to 300 people.
While there is an area to warm food and refrigerator and freezer space, there is no kitchen. Those holding receptions can bring in catered food and beverages of their own choosing.
“As the Chicago area is a melting pot and multicultural, guests really love this as they are not just limited to specific kinds of food,” Mohammed said.
This is similar to how Mohammed said he operates his first Red Rose Banquets on Lake Street in Roselle. He opened that location in October 2023 in a building that now holds three other businesses in addition to the banquet facility.
Mohammed also is involved in construction, commercial real estate and runs Roselle-based BizNusSoft, a company specializing in HR software and field service management. What interested him about diversifying his holdings was the range of people he might meet through the banquet halls, he said.
“I love to learn about different cultures, customs and being part of people’s most important dates,” he said.
As for choosing the name Red Rose, Mohammed said people love roses. He also picked it based on domain availability for the business’s website and social media presence.
Mohammed, a former Elgin resident who now lives in South Barrington, said he’s looking forward to operating in Elgin.
“I’m excited. Elgin is a good market. I have family and friends there. And we’re already seeing traction with people wanting to stop by to see and with bookings,” he said.
And Mohammed is already doing work on a third Red Rose location in McHenry, which he expects to open in April. It’s going into what had been a Bulldog Ale House on Route 31, allowing him to put the existing kitchen and bar space to use, he said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
