Long-awaited Kitchen Eatery is Open for Business at St. Charles and Route 83

It took longer than expected, but Kitchen Eatery is now open for business.

What started out as a cosmetic re-do of the old Kopper Kitchen restaurant at St. Charles and Route 83 became a major overhaul of the building, leaving it looking nothing like its predecessor. 

Kitchen Eatery operating manager Chris Conglis and his partners, Tom Samatas and John Pappas, found out quickly that the old building would need a complete redesign to achieve the goals and standards they set for the place.  

"All those things you hope don't happen, happened," Conglis said.

The concrete floors were cracked, with air pockets, and they collapsed. That led to the need to pour new floors, and install all new electrical and plumbing fixtures. They had to add reinforced beams in order to take down a supporting wall and ceilings. They moved doors and added bathrooms and a new HVAC system. Engineering experts came in, and the city of Elmhurst was "involved very heavily," Conglis said. 

Even the company that was making the booths burned down before they could be delivered. But the end result, Conglis said, was worth the wait.

"You have to be really cautious when you do structural changes to an old building. We did it the right way," he said. 

Kitchen Eatery looks nothing like Kopper Kitchen on the inside. From rows of booths in chocolate browns and tangerine red-orange, drum-shaped lights to charcoal stone walls, it's a completely new space with a modern, mid-century design.

While the sign outside is reminiscent of a 1950s diner, "it doesn't look like a diner at all," Conglis said.

"It's traditional, but modern. Customers may think they'll get black and white tiles and a juke box with '50s music, but I think they'll be surprised at what they find," he said, adding jazz would be the music of choice, depending on the time of day.

But, ultimately, it's the food that will keep them coming back, and it's here Conglis says they have a winner.

Chef Geoff Silverwood has spent time in fine dining in Washington, D.C., attended a French culinary school and worked in France, and done a stint at a fish place before deciding to get into upscale comfort food.

"When we met, it was a perfect mix," Conglis said. "He was in that genre of food that is our concept. It was a good relationship from the beginning."

You won't find a 10- to 12-page menu; breakfast, lunch and dinner selection focus more on quality than quantity, he said. 

"Chef Geoff modified this classical French lemon cream sauce for breakfast, and it's really, really good," he said. 

You'll find typical breakfast items, like pancakes (tasters say these pancakes are the best they've ever had), French toast, breakfast bowls and omeletts, but everything is made from scratch.

"We don't have a microwave and there's limited freezer space," Conglis said. "Our purveyors, a lot of them come every day."

As much as possible, fresh supplies are brought in from local farms—fresh turkeys, hormone-free eggs, quality maple syrups.

For lunch, sandwiches and salads are fresh-made daily.

"We offer a steak salad, fresh spinach, ham off the bone, sandwiches with freshly sliced turkey. We use the bones for our stocks. We pickle our own vegetables. Nothing comes prepackaged or precooked," Conglis said.

Dinner items include salmon and pork belly, and even the kids menu is a little bit different, with lots of fresh vegetables and healthy offerings. But if you're looking for that classic francheezie, an all beef hot dog wrapped in cheddar and fried, "We have that, too," Conglis said.

Those waiting to be seated or picking up a carry-out order can have a cup of espresso or organic tea, and hand-dipped, specialty shakes are sure to be a favorite, as well. 

"It's that concept of warm, homey comfort food," he said. "It's not rocket science—provide good quality, friendly service in a clean place. We offer affordable, high-quality food made in a scratch kitchen."

The Partners

Conglis, who lives in Palatine, comes from a restaurant-owning family. His grandparents were in the business, and his father had five restaurants—from a pizzeria on Taylor Street to a cafeteria in the meat-packing district. 

"Growing up working for your father, that's the hardest boss you can have. He was very demanding," he said.

When he was in his early 20s, he bought a pancake house in Skokie that he operated for seven years.

Partner Tom Samatas is an Elmhurst native and businessman, who has been in the foodservice industry for many years. His father built Kopper Kitchen almost 40 years ago. He's also the landlord of Kitchen Eatery.

"It's been very important to Tom to maintain and grow his Fathers legacy," Conglis said. 

The third partner, John Pappas, is a long-time veteran of the restaurant business, having owned several restaurants in the suburbs. The former Marine has more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of the business, and he will also be involved in the restaurant operations.

Kitchen Eatery is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. Beer and wine also are offered.

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