Lucky Star closes for renovations

Restaurant to add full bar, new booths and televisions

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Staff writer

Almost five months after winning a battle for the City of Burlington’s available liquor license, a local restaurant will close this weekend to remodel.

Lucky Star will close Sunday at 3 p.m. Co-owner Jesse Aguirre expects the restaurant to be closed for about six weeks to accommodate the renovation of the restaurant.

Those renovations include putting in a bar and replacing flooring and booths. Also, the ceilings for the restaurant will be redesigned, and televisions placed in the restaurant.

The menu will remain “almost the same,” said Aguirre, with the addition of some Mexican dishes. The restaurant will open two hours later, at 7 a.m. instead of 5 a.m.

The hours will be from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

“I’d like to say thank you to everybody,” Aguirre said. “I hope everybody will come back when we reopen.

“It’s going to be a surprise when we reopen.”

Lucky Star applied for a liquor license in June – one turned in by the owners of the former Burlington Brewing Company. However, the owners of the building housed the BBC said miscommunication had resulted in the license being turned in, and fought to retain the license through the City Council.

In the end, the City Council voted 3-2 in favor of awarding the license to Lucky Star co-owners Aguirre and Dino Katris.

Aldermen Katie Simenson, Ed Johnson and Steve Rauch voted in favor of Lucky Star receiving the license, while Aldermen Tom Vos and Bob Prailes voted against the motion. Aldermen Jim Prailes and Peter Hintz recused themselves from both the discussion and the vote, and Aldermen Jeff Fischer – who would have had to recuse himself as the former owner of BBC – missed the meeting.