Alexander's Cafe plans summer opening in St. Charles

ST. CHARLES – A family that operates multiple restaurants across several western suburbs plans to bring new life to a shuttered St. Charles eatery.

Bob Karas – whose family owns the Village Squire Restaurants, Rookies All-American Pub and Grill and Alexander's Cafe – said there are plans to open a second Alexander's Cafe at the former Gabby's Kitchen property by early summer.

Unlike the cafe's Elgin site, the St. Charles property will serve only breakfast and lunch, Karas said. He said the lunch menu will include such fare as meatloaf, pot roast and a fish fry on Friday.

“I hope we do well,” he said.

Gabby's Kitchen, 1650 W. Main St., closed in 2014 after more than four years of serving homestyle cooking.

According to Kane County records, the property was purchased for $750,000.

Karas said the appeal of the site was more about the town, as his family has operated Rookies at 1545 W. Main St. since 1998. St. Charles needs more breakfast places, he said.

Although the building could re-open as is, Karas said his team – his partners are Aleko Karas and Nick Smith – wants to give it a new look. He noted the store in Elgin underwent a renovation three years ago.

Alexander’s Cafe in St. Charles will bring the Karas family’s restaurant count to four Village Squires, four Rookies and two Alexander’s. Bob Karas, who described himself as a driving force behind several expansions, said his father and uncle opened the first Village Squire in 1974.

He acknowledged that food service is a challenging business.

"We're never perfect, but we try to be," he said.