Lucky Girl Crossroads coming to East Dundee

East Dundee soon will be home to a national restaurant that developers are calling a "game-changer" for the downtown district.

Lucky Girl Crossroads is the third commercial tenant secured for the recently constructed 311 Barrington Ave. development. An extension of its titular Pennsylvania-based brewing company, the restaurant is expected to serve specialty foods from across the U.S., co-owner Jerry McCoy said.

Lucky Girl is joining Migrate Restaurant, Black and Gray Brewing Co., and several upper-level loft apartments in the building, which serves as an endcap to the downtown. One remaining tenant space likely will be taken over by another specialty restaurant, broker Terry Donati said.

"Our game plan is to create a destination, and (Lucky Girl) is going to be key," he said. "It's a major coup for our town."

East Dundee officials and stakeholders have been trying to establish the downtown area as a culinary district in hopes of attracting new businesses and visitors. Previously vacant storefronts have been filled in recent years with specialty restaurants and shops, but Donati said developers have struggled to secure an establishment with the branding and marketing expertise of Lucky Girl.

"We are small and our demographics are small, so it's hard to attract a national tenant," he said. "We've been very, very selective on who we're putting in there because we knew it was important. This is our diamond."

Lucky Girl will move into the building's westernmost space, which has an outdoor patio and a rooftop terrace overlooking downtown. "Both features were something that were very appealing to us," McCoy said.

The East Dundee establishment is one of 10 Lucky Girl Crossroads locations opening across the U.S., including in Chicago, Richmond, McHenry, Colorado, Massachusetts, Arizona and Michigan.

McCoy and his partner, Jason Pollock, formed Lucky Girl Crossroads last year as a franchise intended to showcase the products created by the Lucky Girl Brewing Company. The brewery was founded by Jeff Wescott in 2014 and expanded into Michigan two years later.

"I wanted to take what Jeff had started and create a franchise so we can incorporate this unique food menu ... and pair that it up with the beer and wine that we own," McCoy said. "We think it will play very, very well in East Dundee."