Orland Park approves Dave and Buster’s deal
BY SUSAN DEMAR LAFFERTY slafferty@southtownstar.com September 8, 2011 10:48PM
Updated: November 9, 2011 1:04PM
Construction on a Dave and Buster’s adjacent to Orland Square Mall should get under way in the spring and the family entertainment venue could open before the end of next year, Orland Park development services director Karie Friling said.
The Dave and Buster’s would replace the former Orland Square Theater, which has been vacant for more than 10 years and is to be torn down this fall.
The village board approved the development agreement with Dave and Buster’s at Tuesday night’s meeting. The building plans are being reviewed, Friling said.
“We are thrilled to have that (theater) come down,” Friling said. “We are thrilled to have Dave and Buster’s. We don’t have a lot of entertainment options.”
The village’s plan commission approved the preliminary plan in January.
The Dave and Buster’s complex will be 24,000 square feet of arcade games, a room for group events and a 280-seat restaurant and bar. It will occupy a 4.6-acre site at 49 Orland Square Drive, near the southwestern part of the mall’s “ring” road, with “good visibility” from LaGrange Road, Friling said.
Dave and Buster’s has two Chicago-area locations, at 1030 N. Clark St., in Chicago and in northwest suburban Addison. The Orland Park center will be similar to the Addison venue.
Friling said she could not project how much revenue Dave and Buster’s will generate for the village because it has no similar businesses.
Orland Park does not have an amusement tax, but does require a $50 annual permit for each vending or amusement machine. Dave and Buster’s is expected to have about 300 machines, Friling said.
The village lowered its annual fee for amusement machines from $300 per machine to $50 last year in anticipation of Dave & Buster’s locating in Orland Park, Friling has said. The village first compared its fees with other communities to make sure the fees weren’t a deterrent, Friling said.
