Business & Tech
LA Cafe Plans to Reopen Have Gone Up in Smoke: Mattina Café Takes Over
After LA Cafe Restaurant in New Lenox burned down in January 2012, the owner had vowed to reopen. But now it seems his plans have gone up in smoke too.
LA Café Restaurant, the popular Mexican eatery that burned down in an early morning fire in January 2012, will not reopen. Despite several announcements to the contrary, architectural drawings and more, it seems that the owner's plans have gone up in smoke too.
Only three months ago, Marc Angel, the owner of the Mexican eatery, was looking forward to a grand reopening in the spring. Frankfort's Phoenix Restoration Co., 195 Industry Ave., was coordinating the reconstruction project and Olivieri Architects, 750 Center Road, had designed the building.
The price tag for construction was expected to range from $1-to-$1.5 million, said John Olivieri after a July Village Board meeting where he introduced plans.
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Today, Deb Engert, the owner of the retail strip development, which features a handful of shops, including Fantastic Sam's and the Irish Pig Restaurant in the 200 block of E. Route 30, revealed that LA Café would not be reopening as planned.
Instead, Mattina Café, currently located at 426 E. Lincoln Highway, will be moving six blocks west and taking over. Mattina, a popular breakfast and lunch spot, is expected to open its doors in April or May, said Engert.
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Neither Angel nor the owners of Mattina Café have yet responded to telephone calls from Patch.
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