Manteno trustees deny appeal by SG’s Rolling Smoke Barbecue to operate on private vacant lot

The Village of Manteno Board of Trustees on July 21 denied an appeal from Scott Grady, operator of SG’s Rolling Smoke Barbecue, seeking a mobile food-truck license to operate on a privately owned vacant lot at 795 West Cook Street.

The appeal hearing drew a lengthy presentation from Grady and an adviser, Rick Flawn, who argued the village clerk and staff had not followed the time limits and procedures in the village code. Grady said, “There was no nothing. We got a denial letter. That's it,” and he asked the board to rescind the prior denial and grant a license to operate weekends through September.

The board’s discussion focused on whether the operation fit the village definitions for a mobile food truck or for a different temporary/transient merchant category, and whether allowing the truck on a vacant, unfurnished lot would require the same off-street parking, drainage and paving standards imposed on fixed restaurants. Trustee Crockett, who explained the basis for denial, said he denied the application “because if you are gonna operate there, at any point in time, it doesn't leave the village's ordinances,” citing requirements for paved parking and drainage.

Appellant counsel Rick Flawn told the board the clerk had not issued an on-the-record written decision within the 10-business-day limit in the code and that the matter was improperly routed to the board before a clerk determination. He asked trustees to rescind the denial and apply the mobile food-truck rules to Grady’s permit as they had for other locations, saying the unit meets the village’s definition of a mobile food truck and health permits would be handled by Kankakee County.

Board members discussed compromise approaches: tabling while staff clarifies permitting, approving a short-term trial, or denying under current code and directing staff to revise the ordinance for future applicants. Several trustees expressed concern about consistency and about setting a local precedent for similar operations on vacant lots.

After debate, a motion to deny the appeal passed on roll call. Recorded votes in the hearing were: Trustee Boudreaux — No; Trustee Getzke — Yes; Trustee Barry — No; Trustee Vaughn — Yes; Trustee Crockett — Yes; Trustee Simmelman — Yes. The board chair announced the motion to deny carried.

Trustees suggested that, if the applicant or village seeks a future short-term allowance, the board could consider conditions such as a defined weekend schedule, measures to prevent on-site dining (“take-and-go” only), pedestrian access surfacing (temporary mats or compacted surface), trash control, and prompt response to neighbor complaints. Multiple trustees recommended staff return with proposed ordinance language clarifying whether operations like Grady’s belong in mobile-food-truck, transient-merchant, or temporary-use code sections.

The applicant retains the ability to apply for permitted operations at other approved locations (for example, the American Legion) and must continue to secure health permits from Kankakee County for each event as required.