Some restaurant owners are facing higher rents but expect better business this fall as they evacuate their Church Street locations to make room for Evanston’s next major development.

Sherman Plaza, a complex including shops, condominiums and a health club scheduled to be built downtown by Thomas J. Klutznick Co., is forcing some area restaurants to relocate, leaving the owners of Olive Mountain, Thai Sookdee and Joy Yee’s Noodle Kitchen with mixed feelings.

Ahmed Saleh and Hasib Blan, co-owners of Olive Mountain, 814 Church St., said they are not pleased with the prospect of having to relocate.

“Honestly, we’re very upset,” Saleh said. “Who wants to move out of Church Street?”

Olive Mountain has been at its current location for a decade. The owners tried to relocate elsewhere along the street, but rent was too expensive to be feasible, Saleh said.

Instead, they will move to 610 Davis St., but the building will be about three-quarters the size of the current location, Saleh said.

Olive Mountain plans to move by the end of November, assuming everything goes smoothly with city permits. The restaurant will close in December for construction and reopen in January.

Most of Olive Mountain’s patrons know about the move because of signs displayed at the restaurant, Saleh said. However, he does not know if the restaurant will experience a decrease in profits.

“After the move, I don’t know,” he said. “I’m hoping not, but you never know.”

As for the Sherman Plaza project, Saleh’s feelings conflict. He said he hopes the development is successful because the city needs it for its financial benefits, but he does not like being pushed out of his current location.

Another restaurant forced to relocate, Thai Sookdee, 810 Church St., plans to move to 1016 Church St., next to Carmen’s of Evanston Pizzeria.

“I don’t like it because we have to move and put a lot of money into the move,” owner and chef Chanpen Ratana said.

Even though the new location is further west and is more expensive, Ratana said, the restaurant will be bigger, and they will be able to take in more business.

Like Olive Mountain, Ratana said Thai Sookdee customers know about the move because the restaurant has put up signs. The restaurant is still undergoing negotiations with the city regarding the exact date, but Ratana said she is planning to move in January.

“(The customers) will follow us,” she said. “They are very concerned – they give us a lot of support.”

Like Saleh, Ratana said she hopes the development will benefit Evanston but fears that it will take its toll on her business.

On the other hand, James Tai, owner of Joy Yee’s, formerly located at 1004 Church St., said his restaurant’s relocation produced few hardships. Joy Yee’s reopened Wednesday at its new location at 521 Davis St. The restaurant had been closed for several months during construction of the new building.

Tai said he is pleased about the relocation. Although rent is more expensive, the building is bigger and the location more advantageous. He also said there has been an increase in customers.

Most of the customers from the previous location have found Joy Yee’s because the restaurant kept its old phone number, Tai said. But some people still don’t know about the move. Tai said he has not advertised since the reopening, and he expects profits to increase after word spreads.

Tai said he supports Sherman Plaza.

“It’s a good thing,” he said. “It’ll attract more people in the neighborhood.”