Business notebook: Restaurant count grows by two

Mike and Judy Dalipi of Sterling will open another restaurant, this one in Milledgeville.

The opening date hasn’t been set yet for Route 40 Cafe, 14 N. Washington St., but Mike said it will be opening “soon.”

The Dalipis, who have been in the restaurant business in the Sauk Valley for 15 years, have owned Kopper Kitchen at Northland Mall in Sterling since 2015, and Mike and his brother, Dan, have owned The Corner Spot Bar & Grill in Dixon for nearly 10 years. Mike’s not the only member of the family in the restaurant business; his cousin, Mili, co-owns Basil Tree Ristorante in downtown Dixon.

Route 40 Cafe will serve dishes similar to those found at Kopper Kitchen, as well as ice cream – dish or cone. Breakfast will be served all day. Ken Duncan owns the building and is renting it to the Dalipis. It formerly housed Nana’s Pizza until a fire closed it last year.

Route 40 Cafe is hiring; applications for all positions are available next door at Wally’s Playce after 2 p.m. daily.

The restaurant will open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Painters open second store

Mitch and Kendra Tucker are wrapping up their first week of business today at Sterling Paint, 603-A Freeport Road.

The couple also own Dixon Paint at 313 W. First St.

Benjamin Moore is the store’s flagship brand, and the Sterling location is one of the brand’s “stores of the future,”  a program designed to provide its independently owned retailers with an opportunity to redesign their stores, and to give customers a simplified shopping experience. It has a nearly-30-foot wall of paint card samples, and sells paint and painting accessories.

“You name it, we got it in a full-color spectrum,” Mitch said.

The Tuckers deal with more than just paint; they also carry blind and window treatments, and can offer decorating advice.

Originally from Dixon, the Tuckers recently moved to rural Sterling, and their two children attend Sterling Schools.

“I probably never would have considered Sterling before,” Kendra said, “but being in the community, we really liked it a lot and we thought there was a lot of potential here.”

The new store is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Call 815-217-7232 for more information.

A’s Kitchen opens

A sign for A’s Kitchen at 2004 First Ave. in Rock Falls has been up since January, but the restaurant – formerly the Red Apply Family Restaurant – finally opened its doors Wednesday after major remodeling.

Since the “A” isn’t for Apple, what does it stand for? Adnan Akiti. He owns the restaurant with his father, Aki, who owned the Red Apple Family Restaurant. They serve American fare, and they have a dessert counter.

A’s Kitchen is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Find A’s Kitchen on Facebook for more information.