Lazy Dog Restaurant Chain Eyeing Next Location In Buffalo Grove

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — The Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar restaurant chain is hoping to continue expanding its paw prints in the Chicago area. After announcing last month it is opening its first North Shore location next year in Northbrook, the casual dining restaurant known for "innovative twists" on American dishes is eyeing a former IHOP for expansion in Buffalo Grove.

"Six months is typical for development of the restaurants. There will be time for training as well. Training the employees is so critical to the Lazy Dog brand and bringing them into the culture," Jared Taylor, of Golden Property Development, representing Lazy Dog, said at Monday's Buffalo Grove Village Board meeting when asked about a timeline for the restaurant. "We're very excited to be coming here to Buffalo Grove."

The property, located at 51 McHenry Road, had been developed as part of The Grove shopping center. The IHOP building was demolished and the site on the northeast corner of Lake Cook and McHenry roads currently sits vacant. The location is part of the 475-acre Lake Cook Corridor, which officials describe as one of the most visible corners in the village. Daily traffic is estimated at 11,900 (McHenry Road) and 29,900 (Lake Cook Road).

Mitch Goltz, principal and co-founder of developer GW Properties, also addressed the Village Board. His company is currently under contract for the entire property.

Golden Property Development is proposing a one-story Lazy Dog restaurant that would be approximately 7,400 square feet, which is estimated to be double the size of the previous IHOP, and would also include a 1,300-square-foot outdoor patio.

Officials said bringing Lazy Dog, which is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, to Buffalo Grove "upholds" key components of the Lake Corridor Market Study and Plan, "a community-driven vision and plan" adopted in 2018.

"I just want to compliment you on your choice of location. I think about this use in that place and it couldn't be better," Trustee Frank Cesario said before the Board unanimously agreed to send the development petition to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

If the Buffalo Grove location moves forward, it would be among the latest of nearly 50 Lazy Dog restaurants across eight states: California, Florida, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Georgia and Virginia.

"The local communities where we have locations (Naperville, Oak Brook and Vernon Hills) have been so welcoming to us and we're excited to expand further into Chicago," founder and CEO Chris Simms told Patch last month regarding the Northbrook location.

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The restaurants are designed with a "warm interior" and lodge-inspired furnishings like fireplaces, ledge stone, chandeliers crafted from Aspen logs and artwork "reminiscent of the Cowboy State," according to Simms. A large outdoor patio will be built around a cozy firepit for gatherings with friends and family.

"We have a long-standing tradition of hospitality in my family and have gathered the knowledge and traditions of three generations to create something we hope will be a special place for families and friends," Simms said. "We serve handcrafted American food and drink with seasonally inspired high-quality ingredients and make every meal by hand each day, including all of our sauces, marinades and dressings."

Lazy Dog’s menu, which focuses on comfort food, changes throughout the year to highlight seasonal ingredients. Handcrafted cocktails and a wide selection of craft beers are also popular. The restaurant is open for lunch, dinner and brunch on the weekend.

"Hence the name, we absolutely encourage guests to bring their dogs to the restaurant," said Taylor, who added that dogs are allowed in the outdoor patio area of the restaurants.

Next up, the development plans will be reviewed by the Plan Commission and come back to the Village Board for final approval. If all goes as planned, officials said construction will begin next spring.

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