Restaurateurs Kadir and Serah Cicek of Mount Prospect opened EATACO in downtown Northbrook in July of 2019.
EATACO received no COVID-19 pandemic relief funding for a business so new. But the couple, married since 2006, kept investing in a hometown. Serah Cicek is of the Glenbrook North High School Class of 2004.
EATACO (1350 Shermer Road) expanded in the spring of 2023 with NEXT-DOOR LOUNGE. Serah Cicek opened REVER women’s boutique (1931 Cherry Lane) in November 2023 in Meadow Shopping Plaza.
Then they pursued Village applications this past spring to launch BEAN BAR (1901 Cherry Lane), a modern social coffee bar, soft opening later this year, also in Meadow Shopping Plaza leased space. The sign, already up, reads, “BEAN BAR, BREWING THINGS UP.”
Interior construction continues at the former Chase Bank corner storefront. Roofing over a previous Sunset Foods drive-thru lane will cover BEAN BAR’s enclosed year-round outdoor patio. A dog park attached to the patio is an idea.
With college looming, the parents of two children (16 and 11), personally borrowed north of $100,000 for BEAN BAR.
As BEAN BAR applicants, the Ciceks sought no Village economic relief. Plus, if Northbrook had incentive money for coffee shops, officials would tell them about it, right? No beans.
Guess who got the coffee break? Hometown Coffee & Juice of Glencoe, Winnetka, Lake Forest, and soon in Glenview.
Northbrook trustees on Aug. 27 unanimously blessed a future vote on a binding economic incentive agreement for a $1.5 million Village loan at 6% interest for Hometown, repayable over 15 years using sales tax rebates. Collateral includes onsite fixtures and equipment.
“Why aren’t they (Northbrook) coming to their existing businesses and saying, ‘How would you like to expand?’ or why aren’t they coming to me, knowing that I have this major project?” Serah Cicek said outside of BEAN BAR on Aug. 27. “It’s very heartbreaking.
“It’s mind blowing, we’re so hurt, I haven’t slept in 48 hours,” she added.
“They destroy me here,” Kadir Cicek said, glancing at BEAN BAR. “They’re going to destroy my other three places.”
The Hometown deal, “drives me insane,” he added.
Hometown Coffee & Juice Response
Hometown Coffee & Juice plans to open next year at 1290 Shermer Road across the street from BEAN BAR where a Church Street and Shermer Road corner building was Northbrook’s first standalone library and recently known as the Katz Eye Center. Starbucks and Leonidas are also along Shermer Road.
Owner-operators Lou and Julie Rubin, Glencoe residents since December 1999, are Hometown Coffee & Juice founders.
Lou Rubin told Pioneer Press by email about buying 1290 Shermer Road, “through a separate affiliate.”
The property, being bought at a confidential price, “will be under separate ownership,” Rubin said, with Hometown leasing, “from that entity. We approached the Village of Northbrook, inspired by the initiatives of nearby towns like Highland Park and Glenview, which are providing similar incentives to attract and foster a vibrant restaurant community within their towns.
“Our current plan is to renovate the existing structure, preserving the character of the former library while modernizing it,” Rubin said. “Rather than demolishing the building, we aim to give it a lighter, brighter aesthetic,” Rubin added. “The building has ample parking, and there will not be drive-thru service.”
Glenview Axe to Grind
Hometown Coffee & Juice received a $500,000 grant from the Village of Glenview on Aug. 6 to open in 2025.
Cathy Schiltz of Glenview, Glenview Grind coffee shop owner, said Glenview should support current merchants instead of granting free money to applicants with similar business models, causing unfair competition. See https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/08/14/editorial-glenview-coffeehouse-economic-development/.
Could this be the brewing of Glenbrook coffee shop wars?
Schiltz was so upset hearing about BEAN BAR that she stopped by EATACO to lend support.
“I’m speechless, especially seeing how hardworking that couple is,” Schiltz said about the Ciceks. “They are an amazing asset to Northbrook as I feel I am to Glenview.
“And how could these board of trustees have no regard for that?
“No one is being transparent,” Schiltz said. “Northbrook is not being transparent and neither is Glenview.”
Viral Social Media Backlash
After the Village quietly published the Tuesday agenda on the Friday before the board meeting, EATACO posted on social media amid weekend public outcry with viral shares, packing the Aug. 27 boardroom. The audience included Northbrook Focused Facebook group members.
Northbrook Focused, with 660 members as of Aug. 30, has questioned the longtime political Northbrook Caucus for running amok and is slating candidates for next spring’s local election which could oust Northbrook Village President Kathryn L. Ciesla and three trustees whose terms are expiring.
Several Northbrook restaurateurs, already angry about the planned Jan. 1 launch of a proposed 1% Northbrook food and beverage tax, were in the boardroom audience.
The Village asserts the 1% tax would generate $1.15 million annually, covering a new economic development manager position plus business recruitment and retention incentives.
Constantine Kyriazopoulos, Northbrook’s Landmark Inn Bar & Grille co-owner, said to restaurant peers, “It’s not finished yet.” Kyriazopoulos wants to participate in business roundtable discussions with willing community leaders to explore collaborative incentive relief for current merchants.
Public comments on Aug. 27 included Kadir and Serah Cicek, plus Hometown supporters and neighbors critical of Northbrook for trying to keep up with the Joneses in neighboring communities.
Podium speaker Anthony Riccardi of Northbrook said about the Hometown deal, “This is a gift,” and, “Conflating this incentive with real incentives is disingenuous at best.
“To finance another restaurant is insanity.”
Northbrook Village Board Response on Aug. 27
An overhead boardroom screen listed recent grants and economic incentives in Glenview, Winnetka and Highland Park.
Ciesla said, “We’ve got to keep up with what other people are doing.”
Village Trustee Johannah K. Hebl said regarding which businesses receive incentives, “It’s not always fair.
“Our downtown is tired and unfortunately the Katz Eye Center (1290 Shermer Road) is an eyesore.”
Improvements to Downtown Block Streetscape
Trustees on Aug. 27 also approved Central Business District reconfigurations with outdoor dining amenities along the Shermer Road block where EATACO is, becoming a, “full scale permanent reality by June of 2025,” Ciesla said.
While EATACO owners may see their long overdue and desired municipal flowers planted amid upgrades, for BEAN BAR, “We’re not bowing to people with ‘money power,’” Serah Cicek said. “Anytime you see big chains come in, the quality goes down.
“I’m sticking around for the Northbrook community.”
Chanel Pike, a Northbrook resident for about four years, said, “I am rooting for BEAN BAR.
“That is where we need to give our support and we need to let them continue to thrive,” Pike said. “We don’t need any extra competition from similar coffee vendors.”
Lou Rubin is comfortable with five potential North Shore Hometown locations.
“With our plate full focusing on the Glenview and Northbrook projects, we have no immediate plans to expand beyond these communities,” Rubin said. “We are truly excited about the opportunity to bring Hometown Coffee & Juice to Northbrook and Glenview, which are the most requested locations for us.”
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
