ALGONQUIN, ILL. Montarra Grill, one of the few independent full-service restaurants in this fast-growing outer suburb some 50 miles northwest of Chicago, faces the same challenge that plagues many fine-dining restaurants: how to find a niche amid the explosion of casual dinnerhouses. —
Surrounded by a sea of casual chains like Cheeseburger in Paradise, Houlihan’s and On the Border, Montarra Grill has captured enough customers with its upscale fare and contemporary American style to make it through its first three years. —
While new customers continue to come into Montarra Grill, a core of regulars has sustained the restaurant and spread the word about it to others. Now the challenge is to build on past success with innovative food offerings, creative marketing and personalized service. —
Principal owner Jeff Dunham, who owns the strip mall where Montarra Grill is located as well as other commercial real estate, and his partners Bob Wallen and Ellen Miller do not have restaurant backgrounds. They made up for that by hiring experienced people to run the front- and back-of-the-house—Jeffrey Raines is general manager and Dave Perlick is executive chef and partner. —
Both Raines and Perlick have extensive experience in many foodservice operations, including hotels, independent restaurants and country clubs. Jovanna Dunham, the owner’s wife, oversees operations. —
The Dunhams credit Perlick for building customer loyalty with innovative menu ideas. He introduced a lengthy small-plates menu, which some patrons use for their full meal, along with a more traditional multicourse selection. His daily specials sell particularly well, he said, since the regulars often like to try new dishes. —
Filling the 138 seats in the understated, contemporary dining room, which is outfitted with two dramatic Dale Chihuly-inspired, hand-blown glass chandeliers, usually poses no problem on weekend nights. But some weeknights can be slow given the restaurant’s location in a suburban area with many young families. Newly marketed weeknight promotions are aimed at solving that problem. —
Some of the current discount features are Tini Tuesdays, featuring half-price martinis all day; Wind Down Wednesdays, with a jazz band and small plates served at the bar between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.; wines at half-price on Thursdays; and Fill the Bar Fridays, when musicians entertain from 8 p.m. to midnight. —
Networking with nearby businesses is another direct-marketing plan that often brings in private parties. A manager receives a percentage of sales for private parties that he or she books, Perlick noted. —
Opening for lunch in recent months has brought in people who might shy away from dinner on their first trial because the average dinner check is $65, which is high for the area. After sampling the cuisine for the lunchtime average of $25, many of these customers return at a later date for dinner, Perlick said. —
“This whole area is looking for a destination restaurant,” Perlick said. “They want a comfortable atmosphere with fine food; we fill that niche. We want to be known as the high-quality restaurant.” —
Raines noted that the early success of a high-end lifestyle center across the street, where tenants include Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and Victoria’s Secret, indicates that area demographics are in tune with a higher-end restaurant like Montarra Grill. He has not noticed much price resistance, he said. —
Large dinner entrées range in price from $14 for a cheese and basil ravioli to $44 for an 8-ounce USDA Prime “ultimate filet” with black truffle risotto, topped with seared foie gras, port demi-glace and black truffle oil. Other entrées include pan-seared Dover sole with baby carrots, haricots verts and Champagne beurre blanc, and grilled Berkshire center-cut pork chop with rock shrimp, sweet corn grits and Bordelaise sauce. —
Raines constantly updates and broadens the 80- to 90-bottle wine list, which now represents about 10 wine-growing countries. He and Perlick collaborate on occasional wine dinners and cooking classes that pair wines with individual dishes. —
Perlick says he gladly complies with any customer requests for special orders if they have food allergies or must avoid certain ingredients for health reasons. —
“Almost daily I get allergy-prone questions,” he said. “It just takes a few extra minutes to change something. It’s more necessary in the suburbs to cater to everyone’s tastes.” —
