New Chili's slated for Vernon Hills

VERNON HILLS -- Six years after a Chili's Grill and Bar caused a salmonella outbreak, a new one is coming to the village.

A 5,766-square-foot Chili's is proposed for Aspen Pointe shopping center on Route 60. Construction is expected to start in the spring and be completed in August.

Lisa Kennedy, director of design for ERJ Dining LLC of Milwaukee, which will build and operate the new Chili's, said the restaurant will sport a new design, and the wood and brick exterior and color scheme will be similar to the adjacent Buffalo Wild Wings.

"It's a new prototype design. We've just opened a another one similar to it in Chicago," she said.

The new Chili's will have seating for 184 people in the dining room and bar, 96 parking spaces, and a Chili's To Go area for pick up items. An outdoor dining area also is planned between the Chili's and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Stacy Taxman, president of the Taxman Corp., which owns the Aspen Pointe Shopping Center, said she is "delighted and excited" by the proposed new Chili's and believes it fits in nicely with the original plan for the shopping center, which called for several restaurants.

A Chili's restaurant had operated at a different location in Vernon Hills for many years before closing in 2004, about a year after a large number of customers and employees became ill following a salmonella outbreak at the restaurant.

The new Chili's will be under different ownership.