Dining, gaming venue proposed in Bartlett
Olivia's Place - a proposed venue that would combine dining, liquor, gaming and live music in a Bartlett strip mall - received mixed opinions from village trustees Tuesday but is moving on to a public hearing before the plan commission next month.
The proposed business is a division of Lucky Bernie's, a pair of similar venues in Woodstock and Spring Grove.
Olivia's Place would be located at 143 and 149 E. Lake St., in the Oakfield Center at the intersection of Oak Avenue.
The proposal was represented by Brian Sterbenz, the owner of Lucky Bernie's, whose business partner Walter Jack would own Olivia's Place.
"It's a very unique concept," Sterbenz told village board members. "It's very upscale."
The business would be 2,400 square feet with about 30 seats and an entertainment area with five gaming stations.
Sterbenz and Jack are seeking special-use permits to serve beer and wine, allow a small amount of seasonal outdoor seating and have live music inside on Friday and Saturday nights.
Unlike his own Lucky Bernie's locations, Olivia's Place is named after Jack's 7-year-old daughter, Sterbenz said.
One Olivia's Place is already open in Berwyn, but is not as upscale as the Bartlett one is planned to be. But another opening in Elk Grove Village this summer will be, Jack wrote in a memo to trustees.
Sterbenz said the Bartlett location was chosen for its neighborhood feel and the high traffic count in and around Oakfield Center.
Bartlett Trustee Adam Hopkins expressed concern with the outdoor seating in an area where many children are. But when Sterbenz offered to confine liquor consumption to inside, Hopkins indicated he could wait to see what concerns are raised at the hearing tentatively set for July 13.
Trustee Michael Camerer said he was more concerned about the gaming machines and the impact they could have on gambling addicts living nearby.
Trustee Raymond Deyne said he sympathized, but such machines are legal for any business with a liquor license. Village President Kevin Wallace said he believed anyone intent on losing big money would go somewhere else.
But despite the criticisms raised, the proposal also won rave reviews from some.
"From what I'm seeing tonight, it's an incredible improvement for that strip mall," Trustee Aaron Reinke said.