Politics & Government

Colonial Cafe Wants to Add Beer and Wine to Menu

The more than 100-year-old company is looking for a new option for customers.

For the first time in the company's 100-plus year history, Colonial Cafe & Ice Cream wants to serve alcohol at its St. Charles locations.

The restaurant, known for its ice cream treats, drew a little resistance from a committee Monday night (vote was 5-3) before receiving approval on two licenses—one for each of its . The licenses still need to come before the full council for final approval.

St. Charles-based already has secured a liquor license at its new Crystal Lake location, said company President Tom Anderson. Applications are pending for the restaurants in the Algonquin and Naperville. The chain has seven locations throughout the Chicago area.

Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The type of city licenses for which the Colonial representatives have applied allow restaurants which are approved to provide table service of alcohol but not to run a bar for customers waiting for food.

Anderson said he intends to offer only beer and wine on the menu. However, the particular restaurant licenses being sought would not preclude the sale of hard alcohol under city ordinance.

Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Changes have come incrementally for the 110-year-old company, Anderson said. It originally started solely in the ice cream business, eventually added burgers to its offerings and gradually expanded into today's full-menu restaurants.

Anderson said he wanted to seek diners who might want a mimosas with brunch or champagne at banquets.

“We have to make changes for the time,” he said. “We’d like to try for the next 110.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here