With the departure of Cavallini’s in the Park, a new restaurant is prepped to move into the Oak Park Avenue Metra station in downtown Tinley Park.
Krema Coffee Roasters, with locations in Plainfield and Lockport, will lease space in the station beginning next month, according to the village.
The Village Board approved a lease with owner Kacie Wadycki at Tuesday’s meeting.
“We can’t wait to start serving Tinley Park customers,” she said in a news release Wednesday from the village.
Krema plans to host public and private events and will offer online ordering so commuters can schedule their orders ahead of time, according to the release.
Wadycki opened Krema Coffee Roasters’ first location in Plainfield, 24038 W. Lockport St., in 2017 and expanded it last year to include a Lockport location, 917 W. State St.
She also owns Wine & Cheese Co. in Plainfield, a business she took over in 2020, and Oak + Bean in Oswego.
The train station is at 6700 South St., where Krema will offer specialty espresso-based drinks, coffee, teas and lemonade, as well as toasts, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads and grab-and-go items, according to the village.
The lease is for five years and Krema is expected to start operating in mid October.
Cavallini’s had been at the station for about two decades and closed Sept. 15.
Owner Norman Elftmann III and the village disputed the reasons for Cavallini’s leaving, with Elftmann saying the village had opted not to renew his lease at the station.
He said he was presented with new lease terms that significantly increased his costs.
The village said Elftmann’s lease expired this past March and he was able to renew terms to stay at the train station.
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Tinley Park had, in April, put out a request for qualifications from businesses interested in taking over the train station space, but the village didn’t get any responses then contacted area businesses to solicit their interest, according to village documents. Wadycki was the only business that submitted a proposal, according to the village.
Wadycki said Krema has always been very active in the community through fundraisers, partnering with schools and nonprofits, and offering a scholarship for high school seniors. It’s a tradition that she intends to continue in Tinley Park, according to the village’s news release.
“We believe that we not only have a responsibility to provide a great experience to our customers, but also to invest in the community,” Wadycki said.
Krema will pay a monthly license fee of $700 to the village, and the village will receive between 2% and 2.5% of gross annual sales. However, that provision will be waived for the first five months Krema is operating.
Krema plans to be open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, according to the village.
The store estimates annual sales at the Tinley Park location of around $300,000.
mnolan@tribpub.com
