New owners set plans for Illinois Valley Food and Deli in La Salle

The Illinois Valley Food and Deli in La Salle closed on Saturday, but co-owner Nizar Tharani said there are plans to open with new ownership in about two to three weeks following some structural improvements.

Tharani will own the business with his partners Pankaj Chaudhari and Nilesh Chaudhari, each of the Naperville area, and they have experience running restaurants and convenience stores.

Tharani said the group chose to open the store in La Salle because the opportunity arose, the store had a history of being well-liked and they liked the region. Nilesh Chaudhari is looking to move to the area with his family.

Tharani said there is work that needs to be done to the building right now, so the owners are considering what would work best for the business and the community.

“The question we are debating on is do we do everything and then open?” he said. “Or do we get some food and supplies and then do some of the things.”

The issue the owners are facing right now, is customers still are coming in every day and turning away disappointed.

Mayor Jeff Grove said he met with one of the owners on Monday and emphasized the importance of a first impression. He said he believed the key would be to have stock on the shelves and do their best in the deli and the meat departments, as that was a plus for the store at one time.

Nizar Tharani said their goal is to open in two to three weeks, get some products restocked and then begin the remodel phase.

“This is (one of) the only major grocery store(s) in the area,” he said. “And it not being here is causing quite an inconvenience to all the residents, because all of a sudden, without notice this place is gone.”

It will take at least two to three weeks to fill out the paperwork for the suppliers, health license, village license and sales tax numbers, Tharani said.

The new owners will make some structural improvements to the store in the upcoming weeks before opening including, basic back-of-house improvements. They also will be cleaning and restocking.

Tharani said some of the employees who previously worked at the store still are working with them now helping with cleanup and assisting with ordering.

“I have a couple of options,” he said. “I can have the supplier pick and tell me what ‘hey this is the food we normally sell’ and we can fill the store up with that or we can go down to the grassroots level and I can ask the employees who used to work there tell me what they used to sell.”

Tharani said the ownership group is working to a list of items to sell in this market.

“Because there’s a big difference between what I want to sell versus what the customer wants,” he said.

Once the store opens, Tharani said owners are looking forward to getting the store back to where it used to be and serving the community.

The Illinois Valley Food and Deli is located at 235 Third St.