See Burr Ridge's Outdoor Dining Options

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge's village government is planning to help local restaurants provide outdoor dining, which the governor is allowing starting Friday.

On Tuesday, the Village Board voted to spend up to $115,000 for tents, built-in lighting, fans and removable sidewalls at a number of spots near restaurants.

Here is where the tents will be placed under the plan:

• Capri (20 tables)
• Parking lot near County Wine Merchant, Dao, La Cabanita and others (45 tables)
• Kirsten's Bakery (5 tables)
• Patti's (15 tables)
• Stix and Stones (10 tables)
• Eddie Merlot's (20 tables)
• Village Center Green (15 tables)

Burr Ridge Village Administrator Doug Pollock said the village's spending on the restaurant program should pay off in the long run.

"We may save some restaurants from going out of business and keep them thriving," Pollock told the board. "Our reserves are quite healthy. I would view this as an investment in our restaurant industry."

Trustee Anita Mital said she would like to see how the program works out in its first days and revisit the issue at the board's June 8 meeting. The board could "pull the plug" at that meeting if the restaurants are not attracting enough customers, she said.

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Mayor Gary Grasso said the program was important to keep businesses in town.

"If we lose one of our quality places, we can't assume we'll be able to replace it," the mayor said. "Thirty-five percent of the Village Center has never been leased. We love our businesses in Burr Ridge, but the economic fact is that when one of them closes, it's not that easy to replace it. We don't have the luxury of a high-traffic, well-known center. That's why we have lost businesses that would prefer the safety of places like Schaumburg or Oak Brook."

Trustee Zach Mottl disagreed that "charity" such as Burr Ridge's restaurant program would be a good investment.

"The reason (businesses) come here is that it makes good business sense," Mottl said. "If their business is not viable, they're not going to stay here because of charity."

The board supported spending up to $115,000 on the program. Mottl was the lone dissenter.

In April, the Burr Ridge Village Board voted to make available $210,000 in motel tax money for grants to hotels, restaurants, bars and stores. Officials said the money was designed to help the businesses survive the pandemic.

Towns such as Hinsdale are planning to partially close off downtown streets to give space for restaurants to offer outdoor seating. Burr Ridge lacks a traditional downtown.