A vacant building at 5 S. Madison St. in downtown Oswego will require substantial improvements before Billy Bricks Pizza and Moo Joe’s ice cream shop can open its doors.

At the May 5 Oswego Village Board meeting, village trustees unanimously approved a $40,000 economic development incentive award for EJ Vision LLC, which owns the property.

“They are looking to make a substantial amount of life safety improvements,” Oswego Economic Development Director Kevin Leighty said during the meeting.

The scope of work includes the installation of a grease trap, installation of a new fire sprinkler and alarm monitoring system, and various water and sewer service line upgrades to support the new building improvements, he said.

The project is expected to cost approximately $130,000.

Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman said he thought the project would be a great use of funds.

“The tenant is turning an old industrial building into a restaurant,” he said. “And this is going to bring a new mom and pop type restaurant into our downtown. And I could not be more thrilled about that.”

The restaurant, which serves wood-fired pizza, will be located next door to Freddie’s Off the Chain restaurant and across Jefferson Street from the Oswego Public Library.

“We’re really excited,” Billy Bricks Pizza CEO Ric Gruber has said in talking about the plans. “This is going to be a big opening for us.”

Previous tenants in the building include Jinxy’s Studio Boutique, Dusty Road Merchants, The Garden Faire and Keith’s Car Care.

The restaurant will be open seven days a week.

The Oswego location will be the chain’s first southwest location. Billy Bricks Pizza has restaurants in several communities, including Naperville, Wheaton, Lombard, Oak Park and Highwood.

Patrons will literally be able to watch as their food is being made.

“We have an open kitchen concept, so you can see everything,” Gruber said.

His stepdad, Bill Wilson, started the business in 2005, opening the restaurant’s first location in Lombard.

Wilson retired from the business in 2023. Last year, Billy Bricks Pizza celebrated its 20th anniversary.

“I think longevity speaks volumes,” Gruber said. “When we can go this long and be this successful in as many places as we are, you know that we’re doing something right. We use the highest quality ingredients we can. We still make almost everything fresh onsite, including our dough. This is going to be a destination location with unique food.”

As Gruber noted, everything is made fresh. Besides pizza, Billy Bricks also sells a variety of sandwiches.

“We’re looking forward to being the go-to lunch spot,” he said. “We’re the busiest lunch spot in Lombard, and we have been for 20 years.”

The restaurant also sells pasta dishes and other items. Along with inside seating, Billy Bricks will also feature an outdoor patio deck.

The Moo Joe’s ice cream store will encompass its own space within the building. Moo Joe’s sells super-premium ice cream made from a 14% butterfat mix, 35-40% overrun, cane sugar and small-farm Wisconsin milk.

“Our ice cream is the cherry on top of what we do,” Gruber said. “At this particular location, we’re also going to have our ice cream sandwiches, floats, and fizzy shakes, which are soda-based milkshakes.”