'Suffering' Burr Ridge Restaurant Gets Tax Money

BURR RIDGE, IL – A restaurant at the Burr Ridge Village Center is struggling, so it needs sales tax money for improvements, officials said Monday.

At its regular meeting, the Village Board voted to give Topaz Café, 780 Village Center Drive, $24,000 for mechanical and aesthetic upgrades. Owned by Branko Palikuca, Topaz opened in 2008.

"They're a staple of our village," Trustee Tony Schiappa said. "We just want to see him continue doing well. That's why he came and asked us for some help. The business has been suffering because of the new traffic pattern at the Village Center."

Mayor Gary Grasso said he favored giving the money.

"It is one of our finest restaurants in Burr Ridge. We have a lot of good restaurants," Grasso said. "It's an appropriate amount, and it's an appropriate purpose."

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.

Earlier this summer, the village's Economic Development Committee recommended approval of Topaz's request.