Plan Commission backs Red Bottle restaurant’s entertainment and assembly uses with lighting and site conditions

The Wheeling Plan Commission recommended approval on Dec. 3 of special-use applications for Red Bottle, a proposed full-service restaurant and entertainment venue at 401 East Dundee Road, and approved related site-plan conditions including specific lighting requirements.

Staff explained the difference between the requests: the restaurant’s base operation is a dining establishment, but because the petitioner requested more than 10 entertainment events per year the venue requires an entertainment-establishment special use; a separate assembly/banquet special use was requested for the small private-event room. Staff also reviewed minor site-plan items for outdoor dining and noted a staff condition requiring replacement of several outdoor light posts — a requirement the petitioner asked to delay.

Petitioner Dimitri Khlebnikov, describing the concept as a second location of his existing operation, said the restaurant will offer Italian menus, weekend breakfasts and entertainment such as karaoke, trivia and comedy. "We anticipate the revenue of 250,000 a month," Khlebnikov said, framing the proposal as an investment that will enliven the plaza and increase tax revenue.

Commissioners questioned the petitioner on outdoor lighting (petitioner proposed table lamps and reliance on existing plaza lighting), patio placement relative to apartments across Dundee, the size of the small banquet area (discussed between roughly 38 and 50 seats, depending on table arrangement), security plans (petitioner said certified guards would be present on Friday and Saturday), and hours of operation tied to the liquor-license rules. Staff noted amplified sound must not exceed nuisance thresholds in Chapter 8.244 of the Village Code and recommended that entertainment activities be restricted to indoor spaces unless separately approved.

After deliberation commissioners added two site-plan conditions: remove the broken light post before opening and install a second light post opposite the existing post by June 1, 2026, for a total of two functioning poles; staff will require a building permit and the lighting work ahead of the seasonal patio use. The commission approved both special-use requests and the site plan by roll-call votes and will forward findings to the Village Board on Dec. 15.

What happens next: The Village Board will consider the commission’s recommendation and conditions on Dec. 15, 2025; the petitioner must obtain required permits and a business license before opening and complete the required lighting work by the date set in the conditions.