Get ready, St. Charles deep dish fans: Lou Malnati’s is aiming to open a restaurant on the city’s east side in the fall.
On Thursday, the deep dish pizza restaurant announced that it has signed a lease in St. Charles for a space at 3050 E. Main St. The restaurant is planned to occupy a former restaurant space in an outlot of the new Fox Haven Square development near the northeast corner of Kirk Road and East Main Street.
Slated to open in the spring, Fox Haven Square is a development project in St. Charles that’s expected to bring a number of businesses to the city’s east side, occupying what was a vacant lot, according to the city. The $22 million project is being spearheaded by Bartlett-based Greco Investment Management, LLC., and is set to house things like restaurants and a pickleball facility.
The former restaurant space slated to hold Lou Malnati’s has long been closed down, explained St. Charles Economic Development Director Derek Conley. As it’s laid vacant, the city has fielded questions from residents about the property’s fate, he explained.
Conley said that the city began working with the Greco family on the Fox Haven Square development around two years ago, and that they had expressed interest in taking over the restaurant property, too. They ultimately landed on Lou Malnati’s.
“We’re excited to welcome Lou Malnati’s to St. Charles,” G Ninety Family Partners President Pat Greco said in a news release from Lou Malnati’s about the planned St. Charles location. “It’s a beloved Chicago staple, and we know it will be a wonderful addition to the local dining scene and overall Fox Haven Square development.”
The restaurant would be technically separate from the Fox Haven Square project, Conley explained, but is under the same ownership — and would sit just next door.
Conley referred to Lou Malnati’s as a “great addition” to the city that’s expected to be popular with both St. Charles residents and others in the area.
The project is also coming up as other developments are being proposed for the city’s east side, which have prompted questions from the city as to how they manage this economic growth.
“I think people think of St. Charles for our cute downtown,” Conley said, “and that’s absolutely true, but we’re also happy to have other developments around our city kind of taking off.”
The Lou Malnati’s project is still pending final plan review and permits and approvals from the city of St. Charles, but the 6,200-square-foot establishment is expected to include a main dining room, private dining, a full-service bar and an outdoor patio, with seating for approximately 200 customers, the news release from Lou Malnati’s said. It would offer dine-in, carryout and delivery options.
And, with plans to open in the fall, the St. Charles location would mark Lou Malnati’s 61st in the Chicago area, officials said on Thursday.
“We’ve had customers from St. Charles asking us to open a location here for years,” Lou Malnati’s CEO Julie Younglove-Webb said in the news release. “The growth and redevelopment happening on the east end of the city makes this the perfect time, and we can’t wait to bring people together over deep dish in this community with a full-service restaurant.”
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
