WATCH THIS VIDEO OF JULY 23, 2025 BOARD OF OAK BROOK TRUSTEES MEETING.  Start at minute 23.

SCORES OF OAK BROOK RESIDENTS SPEAK AGAINST THE LONG-TERM CONSTRUCTION LEASE OF OBBT CLUBHOUSE.  THIS LEASE BENEFITS CHIC CHEF.  IT DOES NOT BENEFIT OAK BROOK RESIDENTS.  

The village is fighting for Ravi to get a tax BREAK, which means we residents pay MORE.  The taxes at issue fund D53, D86, the Oak Brook Park District and DuPage County taxing bodies.  

Ravi pays NONE of these property taxes.

Village residents raise numerous issues:

"to give a long-term contract to an outside organization is 'de rigueur' wrong...at the very least, put it to referendum [like the library] and have the citizens vote."

"The Tax Assessor is empowered to terminate the tax exemption on 270 acres because this board, this leadership, failed to notify the Tax Assessor of the agreement with Chic Chef."

"By helping Chic Chef avoid paying taxes [to D53, D86 and the Oak Brook Park District] the village is hurting every resident of Oak Brook....The Village is fighting for Ravi."

"I've never seen an RFP designed like this one and ending where it is now...starting with a one year contract and ending up with with a 20-year deal."

"Ravi got the deal of a lifetime and the residents got conned."

"I urge you to reconsider the 20-year deal with Chic Chef... In 2022 residents rejected taxpayer funding private banquet upgrades....  But that certainly was not permission to hand controls to an outsider caterer with no ties to the community. "

"this kind of decision obviously needs to go to the public ... via referendum."

"It should be competitively bid."

"You cannot claim the majority of residents supports this proposal.  We do not."

"There are always costs...The kids fishing have to stop at 4 p.m. instead of 6 p.m....The green space will decrease and the parking space will increase."

"The losses that are used to justify this proposal ...include COVID losses." 

"Financial gain is being prioritized over well-being."

"The families who live here see this as a loss."

"You don't see a club over there, you only see trucks."

"Only two people here are in favor of the deal.  The rest of us are against this deal."

"The company [Chic Chef] has less longevity than the lease itself."

"Nothing can compare to what we have here...  It doesn't make sense to me to give control of this wonderful facility to a  commercial development [while walking the OBBT ...] I was blocked by a huge semi that was trying to maneuver out of the parking lot, right next to seven Chic Chef trucks and two U-Hauls. Is this really what we are supposed to put up with?"

"citing Ravi's statement on 12/12/2023: 'Five years ago I tried to build my own.  I don't have $5M.....' This past Saturday, there was a woman in a bright pink dress that had to be held up by her friends...Two more people smoking marijuana in their car....Why are we opening the door to more intoxicated guests...so that the village can receive $15,000 per month?  This is a preview of what will happen..."

"Put the sports back in the sports core."

"We need to keep the commercial banquet businesses on 22nd street."

"A 20-year lease is tantamount to ownership."  

"We don't need another banquet hall."

Many insightful comments.  Over 100 residents attended the July 23 meeting.  225 people watched it online.