Berkot’s shoppers in Crete, who want a little more than food and beverages, now will have the option of adding gambling to their grocery list.
In what seemed like an unusual move, the Crete Village Board last week approved a gaming license for the former Walt’s Food Center at 1100 E. Exchange Street.
After 88 years, Walt’s sold the store, along with three others in Dyer, Beecher, and Homewood, to the Berkot’s grocery chain earlier this fall. It previously closed its South Holland, Frankfort and Tinley Park locations.
Berkot’s is a family-owned chain, with 17 successful stores in locations across the Chicago suburbs and southern Wisconsin, including Peotone, Mokena, and New Lenox.
The gaming license has caused a bit of consternation among some Crete residents, uncertain about the possibility of slot machines in their local grocery stores.
Crete Mayor Mark Wiater noted after the board meeting that granting the license followed the required application process.
“First, the decision was mine,” he said.
“One of the ‘perks’ – I say that jokingly – of being the Village President is I’m also the local liquor commissioner. The liquor commissioner has the authority to grant and suspend licenses.
“When Berkot’s came to Crete, they asked if there was any prohibition against establishing a gaming venue in a section of the store. I consulted the zoning chapter, along with the liquor chapter, of Crete’s village code and determined there was nothing stopping the process, assuming Berkot’s met the requirements in the liquor application process.
“When we established gaming in Crete many years ago, the board set no limits on the number of gaming licenses that could be granted. Then, a number of years into the process, the board decided to limit the number of licenses. If we reach that limit, it requires board action to increase the numbers.
“The board has been doing the expansions in blocks of five licenses at a time. So, the current ordinance passed by the board a few years ago, allowed for four more licenses to be granted when the application was submitted.
“We had a license available, a business in town submitted an application for a license, and I followed Chapter 4 of the Crete Municipal Code to grant the license.
“That is basically the process we went through to get to this point.
“Berkot’s did tell me, in the process of the liquor hearing, that many of their stores have gaming. So, at least for them, it is not that unusual. It’s just another revenue stream they’ve identified that makes a very competitive business model a little more profitable.”
Wiater emphasized the game rooms will be restricted, with abundant security.
“They also told me the gaming rooms are very discrete,” he said.
“Many customers will not even know it’s there unless you go looking for it. State statute allows for six machines. They indicated the service podium that now exists would be moved to a different part of the store, and the gaming room would be tied to that. The service employees will have the required training, and the room will be monitored by Berkot’s at all times. The State of Illinois monitors the rooms, also.”
Gaming is a lucrative industry for stores that offer it and, in Crete, for the village’s police pension fund, as well.
“I will tell you, (former Village President) Mike Einhorn and myself got Crete’s first gaming revenue check years ago when the law first went into effect,” Wiater said.
“We debated a lot over what to do with the money. We were both 100 percent in agreement we would not use the money for normal operations. We wanted to use it as ‘found money’ that would not impact the operation if it fizzled up.
“At that time, we decided to add the money, as additional contributions, to the police pension fund. Every dollar generated since has gone into the pension fund. And that is on top of the dollars we budget during the normal budgetary process. The last correspondence we got from the state showed Crete as seventh in the state on pension funding and close to 90 percent funded.
“If you look at the condition of some municipalities and the amount they are underfunded, Crete is light years ahead. For that, I’m extremely proud.”
Established in 1981 by the Kotara family, Berkot’s has grown to include stores in Peotone, Mokena, Manteno, Manhattan, New Lenox, Lockport, Coal City, Watseka, Dwight, Aroma Park, Braidwood, Wilmington, Momence, Kankakee, Midlothian, plus in Twin Lakes and Burlington, Wisconsin.
Regularly voted Southland’s Best in a local annual reader’s choice contest, Berkot’s Super Foods is a full-service grocery store.
Their website notes, “Our mission is to earn your loyalty through our commitment to quality, community, and opportunity. We are dedicated to offering fresh, quality groceries every day at competitive prices. We strive to make each community part of the Berkot family by participating in community events, both personally and financially. We are committed to providing rewarding jobs and career opportunities to the people within our communities. Our goal is to exceed the expectations of our customers through our commitment to Quality, Community, and Opportunity.”