Dunkin’ Donuts with drive-thru proposed for former Golden Nugget in Old Irving Park
by BRIAN NADIG
A Dunkin’ Donuts with a drive-through facility has been proposed for the former Golden Nugget restaurant site, 4229 W. Irving Park Road.
The former 24-hour pancake house closed last year. It had been open for about 50 years and was well known for its late-night hours until the pandemic.
Plans call for the Dunkin’ at 4313 W. Irving Park Road to close if the proposed one is built, according to Alderwoman Ruth Cruz (30th).
The proposed donut shop would be larger than the existing store, and there is “potential” for an outdoor patio, Cruz said in a flier announcing a virtual community meeting on the proposal.
The Zoom meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15. The meeting ID is 818 8170 5045. The passcode is 800223.
Feedback on the proposal can be emailed to ward30@cityofchicago.org.
The proposal is contingent on the Zoning Board of Appeals approving a special use for the drive-through. The board acts independently of the City Council, and it is not unusual for the board to vote against he wishes of a local alderperson.
There also is a proposed Dunkin’ with a drive-through in Forest Glen in the 39th Ward.
The development would be built on the site of an existing landscaped parcel that fronts both Foster and Elston avenues and is located between a car repair shop at 5157 N. Elston Ave. and the parking lot for the Trinity Slovak Lutheran Church, 5106 N. LaCrosse Ave.
The Forest Glen Community Club plans to discuss the Elston proposal at its meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the Paderewski Academy of Music, 5400 N. Lawler Ave. The club discussed the proposal a few months ago, and there reportedly have since been changes made to the site plan for the project.
Meanwhile, in the 30th Ward, a Starbucks Coffee with a drive-through has been proposed for the northwest corner of Belmont and Austin avenues, where several businesses would be displaced if the project were to move forward.
