The owner of Bleuroot in downtown West Dundee says her last day in business will be New Year’s Eve, saying escalating utility costs and a 30% spike in some food prices has made it impossible for the restaurant to continue.
“It was a good run and if I wasn’t so tired and didn’t love life so much, I would stay open and try some more to make a go of it,” Maria Terry said. “But right now there are more negatives than positives about running a restaurant. Primarily because of the economy, you just can’t get out from underneath things.”
Bleuroot, which specializes in locally sourced farm-to-table ingredients, opened more than seven years ago at 98 W. Main St.
While they were able to make it through the COVID-19 pandemic and her $8,000 rent has never been raised, Terry said she’s now paying $5,500 a month to ComEd for electricity and her monthly Nicor natural gas bill is $1,200. That’s in addition to licensing fees for music, cable TV, internet, permit and inspection fees, chemical supplies for dishwashers, taxes and newly added delivery fees.
On top of that, food prices have soared. Beef and other items are up as much as 30% and the price of cooking oil has tripled, she said.
Terry, 63, has been working in the restaurant business for more than 40 years, she said. She came to Bleuroot as a consultant before becoming a partner in the venture six months after its opening. When COVID occurred, her two business partners bowed out and she became the sole owner, she said.
What initially drew her to the business was the building in which it is located, Terry said. The three-story structure, which dates back to 1879, could accommodate as many as 400 people and boasted a main floor bar, second-story outdoor dining and a third-floot banquet space that also had an outdoor balcony.
It was empty when Bleuroot moved in, having formerly been Dooley’s Irish Ale House and M.T. Barrels. From 1993 to 2005, it housed a Gino’s East pizza location.
“I love the building,” Terry said. “It has a lot of character and is in a great part of town. I made a lot of friendships here and built a staff of 24 that’s become like family.”
Bleuroot was one of the first Elgin-area restaurants to embrace the farm-to-table concept, with Terry seeking out products from Illinois and Wisconsin farmers to create dishes like short rib poutine, portobello mushroom fries, lamb lollipops, and a selection of vegetarian and vegan options.
But costs have gone up for farmers too, and tariffs now being charged on imported items, like alcohol, have driven up prices, she said.
And there’s increased competition. More restaurants and bars have opened in West Dundee and nearby East Dundee, she said, and there has been a proliferation of new restaurants along Randall Road, including powerhouse chains like Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant in Algonquin.
“Things are in overdrive along Randall,” Terry said.
Given the economy, people are looking for bargains and making dining decisions based on tighter pocketbooks, she said. Her efforts to sell the business for the last 18 months were not successful, she said.
So better to close now on her own terms, Terry said.
She’s been able to connect her employees with local businesses both inside and outside the restaurant industry, and her own future includes the catering consulting work she’ll be doing with three local businesses. She hopes to stay involved with local nonprofits such as D300 Food Pantry, Community Crisis Center in Elgin and the West Dundee VFW, she said.
But mostly she’s looking forward to taking a deep breath and spending time with her family, especially her toddler granddaughter, she said.
As for her last week in business, Terry and local businessman Merlin Dow will be handing out free meals on Christmas Eve for 300 preselected families — something Bleuroot has done since it opened.
On New Year’s Eve, they’ll be open for lunch and dinner and then holding a party to welcome in 2026. The $100 per-person price will include a buffet, open bar and dance music.
“It’s the perfect way to celebrate the ending of a great restaurant,” Terry said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
