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Situation:
APPL Group, LLC., hired Krusinski Construction Company to renovate a 10,000-square-foot vacant restaurant space in Elk Grove Village for TOPA Tavern & Grill. The site, which previously housed Cucina Roma, had been unoccupied for more than two years.

Challenge:
Transforming the restaurant’s interior from an old-fashioned Mediterranean décor to a clean, contemporary restaurant and banquet facility presented significant budgetary challenges. Initial drawings came in substantially over the allocated budget, and costs weren’t pared enough with a redesign.

Solution:
Krusinski’s team and the owner and his two sons, who were to serve as the restaurant’s managers, decided to begin construction, and adjust the budget as the project progressed, adding or eliminating items as needed. To keep the team updated, lengthy meetings were held several times during the week, where members determined which items were must-haves and where they could save money by incorporating existing features. In the kitchen, Krusinski followed the original layout, replacing the appliances and equipment, but leaving walls, HVAC, electrical and plumbing in place. Additionally, the restaurant’s hardwood floors were refinished instead of being replaced. The existing patio and landscaping also were retained.

Results:
By making many of the existing features work for a new setting, sufficient funds were created so the existing takeout area was transformed into TOPA’s banquet room – with the contemporary décor the owners had intended from the start.

The grand opening of the TOPA Tavern & Grill was held six months after construction began.