More Alcohol Sales At La Grange Restaurants?

LA GRANGE, IL – A La Grange trustee wants the village to consider loosening its rule for alcohol sales at restaurants.

Now, no more than 40 percent of a restaurant's income can come from alcohol. But Trustee Beth Augustine said Monday that this is a tough standard for businesses.

"A lot of these restaurants survive these days on the margins provided by a good cocktail, serving great wine and selling some craft beer," she said at a Village Board meeting.

The 40 percent rule is "prohibitively difficult" for local restaurants, Augustine said. Increasing the percentage, she said, would make La Grange more attractive to restaurants.

"I think it's already happening that our restaurants are close to this ratio," she said. "The difference (now) is that people go out not just for a meal but to have a couple of cocktails to be entertained. It's very different from 30, 40 years when we put this into place."