Jimmy’s Restaurant
The broker for a Des Plaines-based development company that recently purchased the former Jimmy’s Restaurant site at 1440 Rand Road in Des Plaines is also the managing partner of a company that helps cannabis and hemp retailers better compete with larger companies in the industry, the Journal & Topics has learned.
Illinois state records show that Chris Haris, a Chicago attorney, is the managing partner of Canna Collective LLC, whose Chicago address is the same as that of his law firm on LaSalle Street. Records also show that Haris is the registered agent of a company called River Rand Development, LLC, whose primary address is 379 N. River Rd. in Des Plaines. That address is the former Byline Bank building at the corner of River and Rand. The bank closed about five years ago and has been vacant since then. A check of the property Sunday showed no recent activity inside or outside the 2,500-square-foot building. Haris said Monday that the 379 N. River Rd. listing is incorrect and that that will be corrected in the documents. He did not disclose the LLC’s correct address.
In a brief phone conversation on Monday, Haris said it is not yet certain what the Jimmy’s site will be used for in the future. He added that plans at this point indicate it will be an “upscale” restaurant with a possible retail component. However, he did not provide any information on what the retail component might be.
Jeff Rogers, director of urban development for the city of Des Plaines, said Monday that the city received inquiries from two businesses in June about whether the restaurant property’s C-3 commercial zone allowed cannabis dispensaries. He said it did. The state of Illinois and the city must approve licenses for that type of business. Rogers also mentioned that more inquiries have been received about possible future uses of the property.
River Rand Business Developments LLC is believed to have purchased the closed restaurant and bar about a week and a half ago for an undisclosed sum.
Jimmy’s has been a popular breakfast and lunch spot for years. Tall grass and weeds currently surround the former restaurant at 1440 Rand on Graceland Avenue. This location has been home to several restaurants over the years, including Destiny and Pot n Pan.
The company’s longtime owner, Jimmy Stergios, passed away on September 11, 2023. An attempt to contact Stergios’ widow this week was unsuccessful.
Canna Collective’s website states that the company was founded in 2013 and is a hemp and wellness shop. Another source says it is a collective of independent retailers who leverage the buying and selling power of the entire group of stores.
