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| Schoop's hamburgers is now open in Tinley Park. |
Southland Savvy
Schoop's, a popular hamburger chain based in northwest
Indiana, has opened its newest location in Tinley Park.
A franchised location opened Aug. 31 at 16703 S. Harlem Ave.
in a small retail strip next to the CVS pharmacy. The site was formerly a
breakfast restaurant and an ice cream shop.
Co-owner Maria Venardon said the first week was a little
rough but worth it. "This location has a lot of potential.
"We did a lot of testing but you never know for sure
until you open the doors," she said adding that she's still working
on getting the right number of crew members per shift.
She said the customers said they liked the food and service
despite the birthing pains of the new business.
"This is a great location," she said. "It's a
residential area but there are a lot of nearby businesses. I saw a lot more
working people coming in today."
The Tinley location is the chain's 19th restaurant and fifth
site in Illinois, all in the southern suburbs.
Two of those south suburban locations
are in shopping malls in Orland Park and Chicago Ridge. Two others are in Monee and Calumet City.
Venardon said this was her first Schoop's, but she has owned
restaurants in the past. Her partner is Rich Ferro.
She said the Tinley location features a regular Schoop's
menu with a variety of burgers and other sandwiches as well as fries and soups.
She said the Tinley location hours were 10:30 a.m. to 10
p.m. Monday to Saturday and from noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday.
For information, call 708-781-9715 or visit
www.schoophamburgers.com.
Enrico's announces
its return to Frankfort
When Enrico's, a hugely popular Italian restaurant, closed
in August 2012 to help make way for the Mariano's supermarket on LaGrange Road in
Frankfort, the owners promised they would reopen.
The owners finally were able to make good on that promise
when they announced earlier this month on their Facebook page they signed a
lease for the former Wild Rover space at 20535 S. LaGrange Road in the
Vineyards of Frankfort plaza.
Owners Bob and Harry D’Ercole announced renovations are
underway and they hope to have a soft opening in December.
They also announced that Chef Frank and Delilah would be
returning to oversee the kitchen and that the menu would include all of the old
favorites including baked mostaciolli, baked lasagna and banana cream pie.
The announcement came a few months after the death of
Enrico's co-founder Harry D'Ercole Sr.
The restaurant was a longtime staple in Frankfort and also
operated a smaller pizzeria in Frankfort Square for some years in the late 1980s
and early 1990s.
The owners said updates would be posted on the restaurant's
Facebook page at Enrico's Italian Dining.
Portillo's opens in Homewood
The Portillo's restaurant chain opened its 40th store last
week at 17500 S. Halsted St. in Homewood.
The store will feature a "groovy 1970s theme,"
according to a release from the company.
Company founder Dick Portillo, an Argo graduate, was on hand
when the eatery opened Sept. 14.
The restaurant will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Pink Stone opens in
River Oaks
A new women's clothing store called Pink Stones opened
recently at River Oaks Center in Calumet City. It is the retailer's first store
in the south suburbs.
If
you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop
me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.
