Incident Delays Burr Ridge Restaurant's Request

BURR RIDGE, IL — The Burr Ridge Village Board has delayed a decision on Capri Express' request for an awning at its County Line Square eatery, with one of the trustees citing an incident at the shopping center.

Two weeks earlier, the board had voted unanimously to grant the request, but Trustee Guy Franzese proposed tabling the matter for final approval Monday.

"Last week, I was made aware of an incident at the Square," Franzese said.

He said the incident involved Capri Express and an unidentified business. He did not give any details, but said he wanted a report at the next meeting before the board acted on the Capri Express request.

Patch received information that the police were called to an incident involving a zoning complaint last week at County Line Square, but it was unclear whether that incident was the one to which Franzese was referring. Patch filed a public records request for the police report.

In an interview Tuesday, Capri Express co-owner Phil Salamone said he did not know about any incident involving his restaurant.

"Our guess is as good as yours," Salamone told Patch. "I'm not sure what they're talking about. If there is an incident and there is something wrong that I did, please let me know and I would be happy to address the issue."

In the spring, Phil and Vito Salamone, Capri Express' owners, were among the opponents of the plan for the Are We Live lounge. It was proposed by Filippo Rovito, owner of Capri Ristorante, which is also in County Line Square. Though the restaurants share the name "Capri," they are separate. The board approved the lounge.

Rovito is a close ally of Mayor Gary Grasso. Among other things, Rovito named a plate at his restaurant in the mayor's honor.

The Salamones are requesting an awning similar to the one next door. During the July 26 board meeting, Vito Salamone said the awning is for the restaurant's appearance and protection for customers in different weather conditions, according to meeting minutes.

At the meeting, Franzese said he supported the installation of the awning, but asked that Capri Express delivery drivers not park in the fire lane, as they do from time to time. Vito Salamone said he would make that a priority and address it with his drivers.