Hofbräuhaus developers expect to open this summer

The Hofbräuhaus German restaurant and brewery under construction in Belleville on Illinois 15 is expected to be open in late summer, a spokesman for the developers said Monday.

If the Hofbräuhaus is completed this summer, it would be more than a year later than originally expected.

Ron O’Connor, the spokesman for Hofbräuhaus developers Chuck Keller and his son, Chane Keller, of Effingham, said the Kellers recently extended their franchise agreement with Hofbräuhaus.

“The franchise is still active,” said Stefan Gastager, president of Hofbräuhaus America based in Henderson, Nev.

Gastager said the Belleville location is expected to be open this summer.

“That’s the plan,” he said.

The Kellers began construction on the $12 million restaurant in late 2015. They initially said the restaurant and brewery would be open in June 2016. When they missed that goal, they said it would be open in the fall. But they missed that deadline and then said it would be open in May.

O’Connor said one of the updates in the Hofbräuhaus franchise agreement allows the Kellers to sell beer growlers that customers can take home to drink.

O’Connor said he did not have new information on other projects that have been previously announced but have not yet started at the site across from the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. These include a $28 million Hyatt Place hotel and a conference center, other restaurants, a soccer park and a convenience store.

The Kellers have previously said construction would begin this spring on the Hyatt Place hotel next to the Hofbräuhaus.

Belleville has spent more than $2 million to extend sewer lines to the site and aldermen have approved more than $30 million in tax incentives for developers. These incentives are based upon city tax revenue generated by businesses in the complex.

This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Hofbräuhaus developers expect to open this summer."