Legit Dogs and Ice, the gourmet hot dog and shaved ice business forced to close last year following a dispute with its landlord, will reopen in 2021 in a new downtown Elgin location, owner Matthew Habib said.
Two new posts on the Legit Dogs’ Facebook page teased the business’ return, which Habid said is in the early stages but will be in a downtown spot he’s keeping under wraps for now.
“Get ready to clutch your pearls, again. Summer 2021,” reads the Facebook message that accompanies an image of a tombstone with “RIP” crossed off and the words “It Lives” scrawled on top.
The new operation will have plenty of what patrons remember — hot dogs, punk-rock vibe, video games and live music events, Habib said. But there are going to be new attractions as well, he said.
“It will be unique and I think people will be blown away,” he said.
Habib and his wife/co-owner, Jennifer Polit, are partnering on the new venture with Andrew Cuming, who owns the building in which they’ll be located. Construction is in the early stages but they plan to have a rooftop patio, party rooms and a bar in addition to new menu options that could include Mediterranean fusion, barbecue and dessert items.
“We’ve got a lot of things in the works,” Cuming said.
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“We know not everyone wants hot dogs everyday,” Habib added.
It will be the second partnership for the couple and Cuming, who opened Red Poppy Bistro on Highland Avenue together this summer.
Cuming said he dropped by for a meal two years ago when Legit Dogs was in Dream Hall, and was impressed by Habib’s ability as a chef and the potential for the business.
The couple was ready to start over in a new town after the dispute with the Dream Hall owners ended their lease there, but Cuming convinced them to stay in Elgin, Habib said.
“We were gone. We … were a day from moving Legit to St. Charles,” he said.
“(Cuming) really believed in the Legit Dogs and Ice concept,” Polit said. “Our relationship really started there.”
Habib said the difficulty they had with their previous location convinced him they needed more control wherever they went next.
“There were so many problems in the last building,” he said. “We will have so much more control and be able to do a family-oriented (approach).”
They’re eyeing an April opening date for the new Legit Dogs, which should given them sufficient time to finetune their plan, get the necessary approvals from the city of Elgin and continue to run their bistro, Habib said. Red Poppy is open but they want to finalize their menu, add weekend hours and hold a grand opening, he said.
“I’m willing to believe COVID will pretty much be over (by April) and you know we’ll be primed to launch,” he said.