Burr Ridge Restaurant Seeks Village Tax Money

BURR RIDGE, IL – A Burr Ridge restaurant is seeking village tax money to help pay for mechanical upgrades and beautification.

In a letter to the village last month, Branko Palikuca, owner of Topaz Café, said the improvements would keep the restaurant viable.

Opening in 2007, Topaz is a founding tenant of the Burr Ridge Village Center shopping complex.

A few years ago, the pandemic hit restaurants hard. After it ended, Palikuca said Topaz faced a new challenge – a Village Center construction project.

"This project has put an immense strain on our business," Palikuca said. "The main thoroughfare of traffic, the 'artery of the center' if you will, the main access point to Topaz, was permanently and completely cut off. Since the start of construction through its completion, we have seen a minimum 20% loss of revenue. This is a conservative estimate."

He said Topaz is trying to stay positive as tenants, but the restaurant receives constant complaints about parking, access and how the completed project functions.

Because of that, the restaurant is seeking financial help with sanding and refinishing the wood floors in the main dining room, refinishing the patio extension flooring, and replacing aging and leaking water heaters.

The improvements are expected to cost about $40,000, but Topaz did not specify the amount it is seeking.

On Wednesday night, the village's Economic Development Committee plans to review Topaz's request.

The money would come from a 4-year-old 1 percent sales tax in the business district, which consists of Village Center, County Line Square and the Marriott.

The tax money was intended to benefit the district itself with such things as buildings, roads, utilities, demolition of buildings and renovations of existing ones.