WICKER PARK — Sorry — it's not about to get easier to nab a table outside Big Star.
Construction on the lot adjacent to the restaurant's uber-popular patio piqued the interest of a handful of fans excited that it could mean expanded seating options.
But the construction that began Tuesday on the asphalt lot on the far southern end of the property — where catering trucks park, barbecues occasionally pop up and smokers tend to congregate — is just a surface upgrade, and doesn't mean changes in store for the restaurant, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
And if there is something bigger in the works, it's nowhere in the near future, according to One Off Hospitality, which manages the restaurant.
A spokeswoman said Wednesday that "there is no news to report at the moment" regarding the paving work, which she said consisted of "the removal of the black top in Big Star’s south lot" to replace it with concrete.
"The south lot will remain a parking lot," the spokeswoman said.
The restaurant at 1531 N. Damen Ave. expanded its patio three summers ago and relocated a take-out window to the north side of the patio, in a lush plant-filled area that's turned into somewhat of a green oasis.
In addition to Big Star, the One Off Hospitality Group also operates Publican, Publican Quality Meats, Violet Hour and Dove's Luncheonette, the latter two also in the 1500 block of North Damen Avenue.
Sometime this fall, Publican Anker, another venture from the group, plans to open in the former Francesca's Forno at 1576 N. Milwaukee Ave.
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