Fajita Pete’s, a new carry-out and delivery eatery, plans to open ‘flagship store’ in Wilmette later this summer

Wilmette’s culinary scene is continuing to sizzle as plans for another new restaurant in the village gained an important added ingredient during the board of trustees’ Tuesday, June 13 meeting. 

Trustees approved a liquor license for Fajita Pete’s, a new catering, carry-out and delivery eatery that plans to open in Westlake Plaza later this summer, according to village documents. 

Fajita Pete’s will offer “award-winning fajitas, mouth-watering Tex-Mex and zesty margaritas” for carry out, curbside pickup, home delivery and catering services, per documents included in its application to the village. No dine-in option will be available. 

“Our team is excited to bring this new concept and all of its offerings to Chicagoland with our flagship store opening in Wilmette in the summer of 2023,” the restaurant’s ownership said in a proposal submitted to Wilmette officials. 

The Houston-based company was founded by its current director and manager, Pedro “Pete” Mora in 2008 and began franchising its operations in 2015, per village documents. There are currently 32 locations with 100-plus franchise commitments across the U.S.

Fajita Pete’s will offer a simple menu with “premium quality, handmade items and will focus its delivery options on an 8-10 minute radius to ensure its food is “delivered hot, fresh and on-time, the company said. 

The restaurant’s hours of operations will be 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. and it will be open seven days a week. Its space at 3207 Lake Ave. is just over 1,000 square feet. 

Fajita Pete’s will carry two full-time employees and about 15 part-time staffers, the company said. It plans to employ its own drivers as well as fulfill orders from third-party platforms. 

The village needed to create a new classification of liquor licenses to authorize the sale of liquor at Fajita Pete’s because there is currently not a license that allows alcohol at a restaurant that does not otherside provide seating and table service, according to village documents. 

The newly created license features requirements that include cocktails must be sealed with a tamper-proof lid, labeled with ingredients, filled less than seven days before the sale, that employees must verify the age of the individual receiving the cocktail and several other provisions, per information from the village.  

Right now, the new type of license, labeled a Class W license by the village, is limited to only Westlake Plaza. Jeffrey Stein, Wilmette’s assistant village manager told trustees in a memo that this could change in the future “but this limitation would allow the applicant to operate its business but also allow the village to fully vet this new type of operation taking place in other zoning districts of the village.” 

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