A longtime Dunkin’ owner on the east end of Morton Grove plans to spend more than $1.5 million to demolish his existing doughnut shop and rebuild it with a drive-thru.
Amyn Ali, owner of 5843 Dempster St., hopes to begin work on the project by August, pending receipt of all of the necessary permits, Ali said.
The Morton Grove Village Board reviewed Ali’s request to extend the project’s special use permit with few questions at its May 14 meeting.
Trustee John Thill asked Ali why he needed the extension, which gives him more than a full year to utilize the special use.
Ali said the current special use expired on May 23. He said he has already applied for the first round of permits.
“So we’re just waiting,” he said. “And we don’t know how long it will take because this is the first of several. I think there is another permit needed with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, from what I understand, and then (Illinois Department of Transportation), as well. I don’t know how long that’s going to take.”
Community Development Administrator Brandon Nolin said Ali submitted a permit application on April 29.
“The proposed (extension) would not change any aspect of the proposed use or site plan, and is eligible as a minor amendment,” Nolin said.
Thill said he asked about the extension because he noticed a new Dunkin’ recently opened near Ali’s restaurant, but on the east side of the Edens Expressway.
“That was a relocation,” Ali said. “They relocated literally just like 200 feet. There was a non-drive-thru, and it became a drive-thru.”
Thill joked about the proliferation of Dunkin’ and other doughnut restaurants in the area.
“There must be a lot of money in doughnuts,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it’s not mine,” Ali said of the nearby competing restaurant.
Morton Grove is also set to get a Joe Donut shop.
Ali said demolition and construction will begin as soon as permits are issued. He said financing is already in place for the project
“We’re just waiting for permits,” he said. “They may not come in time and our special use might expire.”
Ali said the project could be delayed if he cannot start construction by August.
“If it’s after August, the asphalt plants close up (for winter),” he said.
Ali said he expects the project to take three to five months to complete.
The competitive landscape for doughnut restaurants has increased significantly since he began operating about 25 years ago, Ali observed.
“There’s literally another Dunkin’ across the bridge,” he said. “Since we’ve opened the store, three or four Dunkin’s have popped up.”
Ali said adding a drive-thru to his restaurant is essential to the proposed expansion of the restaurant.
“Had I not gotten a drive-thru, I probably would not have invested,” he said. “Because I got it, we’re taking a bold step to go forward.”
The exact cost of the project is “still up in the air,” Ali said. But it will be more than $1.5 million, he said.
Inspire Brands, the corporate owner of Dunkin’, is not contributing funds to the project, Ali said.
“I wish,” he said.