Committee recommends city council consider billiard-hall liquor license for Gratibilia Club relocation
May 08, 2026 | Kankakee City, Kankakee County, Illinois
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The License & Franchise Committee voted to recommend that the City Council consider a liquor license for the owner of the Gratibilia Club, who proposed relocating the billiard hall to 344 Southeast Avenue.
The applicant, identified in the meeting only as the owner of the Gratibilia Club, described the planned operation as a billiard hall with roughly 6,000–7,000 square feet of usable space, no full kitchen (snacks only), weekly leagues, occasional tournaments and video gaming. The owner said the move would reduce overhead and cut rent by roughly 35 percent, and that the business uses video‑surveillance ("21 cameras inside and out"), has not needed private security recently and limits hours in keeping with existing city rules.
Committee members pressed the applicant on parking and neighborhood impacts. City staff and the liquor commissioner told the committee the site would require a conditional‑use permit from the planning commission and that municipal approval would be subject to standard checks: background investigations, proof of lease or ownership, proof of insurance and required state inspections.
Alderman Barron moved and a fellow committee member seconded a recommendation that the council approve the liquor license application, subject to the applicant completing the background, ownership/lease and insurance requirements and satisfying the planning commission’s conditional‑use process. The committee voted in favor.
The committee and city staff also discussed timing for the build‑out; the applicant said the landlord could complete construction within 2½–3 months once the liquor‑license path was clear, and the applicant targeted an opening by Labor Day weekend.
Next steps: the committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to city council for final consideration; the application will also be routed through planning for a conditional‑use determination and must clear municipal background and documentation checks before a council vote.
The applicant, identified in the meeting only as the owner of the Gratibilia Club, described the planned operation as a billiard hall with roughly 6,000–7,000 square feet of usable space, no full kitchen (snacks only), weekly leagues, occasional tournaments and video gaming. The owner said the move would reduce overhead and cut rent by roughly 35 percent, and that the business uses video‑surveillance ("21 cameras inside and out"), has not needed private security recently and limits hours in keeping with existing city rules.
Committee members pressed the applicant on parking and neighborhood impacts. City staff and the liquor commissioner told the committee the site would require a conditional‑use permit from the planning commission and that municipal approval would be subject to standard checks: background investigations, proof of lease or ownership, proof of insurance and required state inspections.
Alderman Barron moved and a fellow committee member seconded a recommendation that the council approve the liquor license application, subject to the applicant completing the background, ownership/lease and insurance requirements and satisfying the planning commission’s conditional‑use process. The committee voted in favor.
The committee and city staff also discussed timing for the build‑out; the applicant said the landlord could complete construction within 2½–3 months once the liquor‑license path was clear, and the applicant targeted an opening by Labor Day weekend.
Next steps: the committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to city council for final consideration; the application will also be routed through planning for a conditional‑use determination and must clear municipal background and documentation checks before a council vote.
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