Heartland board sends S3 Deli, ice-cream cart and mobile-vendor policy to Park Board after debate over beer garden contract and ordinance

Matt Ballantyne, owner of S3 Deli, asked the Village of Heartland board on April 1 to let his mobile food trailer operate at Nixon Park during the beer garden and to serve lunches at an industrial park lot during weekday hours. He told trustees he would return the trailer to his licensed commercial site each night and said he had local public‑health inspection in hand.

Ballantyne said his plan would provide more food choices at Nixon Park’s beer garden and a quick lunch option for industrial-park workers, and that he would operate consistently whenever the beer garden was open. “Anytime the beer garden is open … I will be there. I will have staff,” Ballantyne said.

Trustees and park officials raised two recurring concerns: (1) a village ordinance adopted last year that currently restricts mobile food vendors on village park property, and (2) a contract the village recently signed with the…