Huntley officials generally like the idea of a proposed wing restaurant in town, but didn’t like the parking situation and raised concerns about more video gaming terminals.

The Village Board recently reviewed, but did not vote on, plans for a Sauce N Toss restaurant at 10870 Route 47 in the Huntley Towers shopping center.

The restaurant would carry wings, sandwiches and casual dining options, with counter and carry out service, Charlie Nordman, Huntley director of development services, said.

Owner of the planned Sauce N Toss eatery, Ricky Patel, likened it to a cross between a Wing Stop and Buffalo Wild Wings. He said the restaurant is meant to be modern, fast and casual and not a “three-hour journey to sit down.”

Patel said he would offer QR and kiosk ordering to reduce congestion.

“The idea is not a long-term stay per table,” said Patel, who also owns the Huntley Towers shopping center.

Proposed plans for the restaurant include 60 seats and six video gaming terminals. Under village rules, that would require 22 parking spaces, Nordman said, adding it’s based on one space for every three seats.

The shopping center was approved in 1999 with a parking variation. That allowed for 42 parking spaces for the entire strip mall, Nordman said.

But when Route 47 was widened in 2011, parking got reduced. Currently, there are 31 spaces for the center, Nordman said. With all the tenants, including the proposed restaurant, 54 spaces would be required under village rules.

In order to be within village rules, the restaurant would need to go from 60 seats to 36 – a number that includes seating for the video gaming terminals, Nordman said. That would also reduce the number of terminals allowed to three – one terminal for every 10 seats.

But while many Village Board members generally liked the idea, parking was among their top concerns.

“I very much like what you’re proposing to do here. However, to echo what several of my colleagues have already said, the parking is an issue that really cannot be compromised,” Trustee Vito Benigno said.

He said based on feedback he and other officials get, parking is one of residents’ main concerns. He said Patel should come back with a plan to address the parking issue.

Village President Tim Hoeft said he liked the concept, but he also had concerns with the parking and size.

Hoeft said he was glad Patel was looking to do something with the space but that, as the property owner, Patel knew about the parking limitations. Hoeft said he didn’t want to set a precedent but also indicated he wanted to help find a solution, mentioning an opportunity potentially to add more parking to the north of the property, which Patel said he’s willing to do.

Patel said he’s also talked to tenants about the possibility of splitting the southern and northern lots, and he suggested he could reconfigure the southern lot to add more spaces.

Another possible solution is land-banked parking. Village attorney Betsy Gates-Alford said the ordinance would have triggers as to when the parking would be built out.

The Northwestern Medicine office building in Huntley approved a couple years ago used land-banked parking, she said.

Video gaming was another one of the concerns officials mentioned.

Trustee JR Westberg said he was on the Village Board when the gaming ordinance was passed, and the village didn’t want a lot of gaming parlors. He said that is why there are restrictions on seats and terminals.

He added that the restaurant’s proposed layout centers the gaming machines, and he suggested moving them to the back.

“Otherwise, I am looking at you as a gaming parlor,” Westberg said.

Patel said he understood gaming is a privilege and his business is focused on high-quality food. But he said business expenses come up, and gaming revenues would go back to the business, if not the property.

Patel said the space for the eatery is two units and he would separate them if the business doesn’t do well. He said that was why the layout was the way it is, but his goal was not to make it a video gaming cafe.

Patel said he was open to removing terminals until more parking was added if the village felt that was needed.

The restaurant would go in at the north end of the strip mall, replacing P-Dubs Pet Hub, which moved to a different unit in the strip mall. The space also was once home to China Chen restaurant, Nordman said.

The strip mall was formerly home to the Trump and Truth Store, which closed at that location in July after eviction proceedings. The Trump Store has since moved to Crystal Lake, and Street Paws of Huntley is in that spot.

Patel said Sauce N Toss has other locations in Zion and Fox Lake. He said he proposed the eatery because it is not a large, well-known chain. That gives him flexibility with the menu and community feedback, rather than having to do what a large corporation says. Patel was not available for further comment Monday.