Prime Time Restaurant to Open Under Williamson's Ownership

Residents in the Bluestone Bay area knew they'd have to keep an eye on the progress and opening of a new restaurant moving into the old Bluestone Bar & Grill location.

After the noisy atmosphere and late hours of the now-shuttered Bluestone left a bad taste in some residents' mouths, they voiced concerns to the Village Board when the owners of Williamson's Restaurant & Bar were with hours until midnight on weekends.

So when they saw signs advertising a place called Prime Time Restaurant & Bar, and not Williamson's, there was some understandable confusion and concern. But residents can rest assured, at least for now, that there's nothing to worry about.

"It's the same people, the same hours approved by the board," Mayor Tim Baldermann said. "It's just a name. But it's going to be a restaurant just like Williamson's."

In November, the Village Board approved a new classification of liquor license for a restaurant operated by the same owners as Williamson's. The license allows the restaurant, which has now been named Prime Time, to be open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. on the weekend. Additionally, the license prohibits karaoke and any loud or live music and requires trash disposal and pickup to minimize noise. Bluestone was allowed to be open and serve alcohol until 2 a.m. daily.

"Our main concern is that it doesn't turn into what (Bluestone) was,  Rich Milkeris, a Bluestone Bay resident who lives directly across the street from the proposed location, said at a board meeting last year. "It was a living hell for five years. I'm afraid a nice restaurant will turn into a bar after 9 or 10."

During board meetings, ownership said they wouldn't have similar noise issues as Bluestone did, but residents remain wary. Owners, however, invite anyone with concerns to come to the original Prime Time location in Hickory Hills to get a feel for the atmosphere.

"We're much more restaurant-based here," co-owner Bill Les said. "The concerns ... it’s exactly what happened over here in Hickory Hills. But now those same people come here every day."