Business & Tech

Lillie's Q Expansion Rumors: "No Deal In Place"

See what representatives said after a developer hinted the popular barbecue joint could be expanding to Lincoln Square.

Lincoln Square started salivating when developer John Steven Livaditis said Lillie's Q was looking at Lawrence Avenue for an expansion. But according to restaurant officials, residents will have to hold back the slobber. 

Renderings showed the popular Wicker Park barbecue joint situated next to a Roots Handmade Pizza at 2200 W. Lawrence Avenue. 

Livaditis said he spoke to Lillie's Q owner Charlie McKenna about the second location, but since the property would sit next to 21 new apartments—also owned by Livaditis—the developer said he wasn't sure about odors that could come with the eatery. 

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Representatives from the restaurant also confirmed nothing was set in stone. 

"There is no deal in place for Lincoln Square or any other location right now," Lillie's Q spokesperson Dave Andrews told Patch in an email. "Lillie’s Q will expand at the right time and for the right deal."

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Chef and owner Charlie McKenna is constantly talking to developers all over the city about adding to his barbecue empire, Andrews said.

His location in Wicker Park recently reopened in June after a fire destroyed much of the inside


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