Urban Grille in Geneva Closes; Developer Seeks New Business for Downtown Space

Urban Grille, 524 W. State St. in Geneva, has closed. 

Jake Finley, of Conlon Commercial, owns the building that housed Urban Grille and  has been working to market the space and find a new owner. Other restaurateurs
in Geneva have expressed interest in moving into the space, according to the Kane County Chronicle. 

Urban Grille opened in 2007 and was "known for its design-your-own burgers" and was located in a build that houses the Playhouse 38 theatre, according to the Kane County Chronicle. 

A Geneva Patch reader e-mailed in recent weeks asking about the restaurant's closure. He pointed to a Kane Co. Health Department sticker that had been posted on the former restaurant's door as a possible indicator to its closure. 

Tom Schlueter, communications coordinator for the Kane County Health Department, said the health department did not close the restaurant. 

The sticker left on the door of the restaurant reads "it is unlawful to operate a food handling establishment on these premises without prior approval from the Kane County Health Department."

The sticker is commonly left by the health department as a way to remind any new business that might occupy the space they must obtain a food permit in order "to reopen the establishment," according to an e-mail response from Schlueter. 

Either way, the Urban Grille went out of business "on its own and was not shut down by the health department," according to Schleuter. It was unclear why exactly the business shut its doors. 

The Patch reader, who lives across from the location, said there were hand-written notes left on the business's door at the beginning of the year stating it would be closed through January, according to an e-mail from the Geneva resident. 

In recent days, the Geneva resident told Patch a sign was put on the business that said it was now a "turnkey restaurant for lease." 

The Urban Grill was housed in the Stanton Building, a two-story plus lower level brick structure located on the corner of State Street (Route 38) and Sixth Street, according to the Fagans Incorporated website.