Dec. 8 – STERLING – After 15 years of rising through the foodservice industry, Edgar Xique has finally realized his dream of owning a family-run restaurant.
Primo’s Bar & Grill opened Friday in the former Wagon Wheel restaurant at 1711 W. Fourth St. The restaurant serves old-fashioned American fare, including omelets, pancakes, breakfast biscuits, as well as dinner platters and sandwiches.
Xique started his career in food service as a dishwasher, but was always hungry to learn more.
“In most kitchens, everyone usually starts as a dishwasher,” says Xique. “As time goes by, you learn and become the prep guy and then the cook. But after 15 years in the restaurant business, I decided it was time to open my own restaurant.”
Xique also works as a department manager at Buffalo Wild Wings in Sterling. He said he started looking for a location for his restaurant a few years ago, but had trouble finding the right spot until last summer.
“Either the rent would be too high or the location was too far away from the city,” Xique said. “There aren’t many places to eat this side of Sterling, and this place gives people another option without having to drive across town.”
Although Xique knew how to run a restaurant, starting and running a business was new. That’s where the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon stepped in.
The center is part of a nationwide network of small business development centers that receive grants from the U.S. Small Business Administration. It provides free business advice, training and resources to help small businesses grow and succeed.
SBDC Director Justin Bergman said the center serves businesses in northwestern Illinois, including Lee, Whiteside, Ogle, Carroll, Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties. He said the center has served 20 new businesses and advised more than 200 clients in the past year, while helping them secure more than $2 million in financing.
“We help everyone with a business idea in all phases of development,” says Bergman. “We can be a sounding board, help with a feasibility study, conduct market research and more. In Edgar’s case, we helped get his LLC up and running and helped map out all the requirements for starting the restaurant and obtaining financing .”
Bergman said aspiring entrepreneurs can visit the SBDC website at sauksbdc.com to request a consultation for services.
Primo’s Bar & Grill will have a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, December 16 at noon. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Xique said the bar will open soon, from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
