Joliet City Council to consider Olive Garden liquor license

The long awaited Olive Garden restaurant is getting closer to reality in Joliet.

The City Council votes Tuesday on the approval of a liquor license for Olive Garden, which is expected to open in the spring.

The restaurant–under construction–is visible to passersby on Route 30. A construction crew was on the job Friday. It’s in The Boulevard, a 171-acre development that is is partly in Joliet and mostly in Plainfield.

“They’ve talked about being open in the spring,” said Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, also Joliet’s liquor commissioner. O’Dekirk has recommended approval for the Olive Garden liquor license, which allows for on-premise consumption and is not likely to face opposition.

Olive Garden for decades had been one of the most frequently mentioned among restaurants and retailers that people would like to see come to Joliet.

The location is off Interstate 55 and on the other side of the interstate from the Louis Joliet Mall, the city’s primary retail and restaurant area.

The only operating business in The Boulevard now is the Costco store, which opened in late 2020 on the Plainfield section of the development. One other building is under construction, which O’Dekirk said is expected to contain a restaurant yet to be announced.

Joliet and Plainfield developed an intergovernmental agreement created for The Boulevard, which O’Dekirk said “has worked out very well.”