Bertucci's to reopen in Palos Hills

Bertucci's is planning on reopening in Palos Hills under a new name. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Bertucci's restaurant, which closed in Palos Hills without warning in early March, appears ready to make a comeback.

The Italian eatery at 10331 S. Roberts Road gave no indication or warning when it closed, but signs have been posted on the property indicating it will reopen and is now hiring.

A spokesman at Palos Hills City Hall, which is next door to the restaurant, said, "Evidently, he got his financing and plans to reopen."

The 2,000-square-foot building had been listed for sale at $179,000 on local real estate web sites and was sold for $160,000. The apparent buyer was PKKS Inc., which lists the property address as its business address and its agent as Klaudia Szulkowska.

The spokesman said that licenses for the business had been approved but had not been picked up, including a liquor license, which are necessary before it can get the state liquor license or open for business.

"It's new name will be Bertucci's Mediterranean Taverna," said the spokesman.

Meijer opens superstore in Flossmoor

The Michigan-based Meijer supermarket chain opened its new supercenter June 23 in south suburban Flossmoor.

The store at 3800 Vollmer Road was one of two new stores the chain opened in Illinois. The other is in north suburban Round Lake Beach. It will be the retailer's fifth store in the south suburbs with other locations in Orland Park, Evergreen Park, Mokena and Homer Glen.

The store opening culminates a project that began 25 years ago when Flossmoor bought the land, cleared it and added infrastructure in an effort to lure a big-box retailer to the village.

Construction on the 192,000-square-foot store took about a year. As a supercenter, it will carry food as well as general merchandise. The store will have a full service pharmacy with a drive-thru, electronics department and lawn and garden center.

Hours will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.com 

Sabre Room closes in Hickory Hills

The Sabre Room has closed for good in Hickory Hills. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The south suburbs lost another iconic meeting place when the Sabre Room shut its doors for good after 67 years of hosting weddings, New Year's Eve parties and Hollywood stars including Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra.

The banquet hall at 8900 W. 95th St. in Hickory Hills called it quits at the end of business May 29.

It's the second such landmark meeting place to close in Hickory Hills in less than a year. Lexington House closed in August and was the site was sold to DriveTime Auto Group for a used car dealership.

The Sabre Room was founded by Arnold and Marie Muzzarelli in 1949 on the 30-acre site of the luxury Dynell Spring Spa, which dates back to the 1920s.

A city official said that a developer had expressed interest in the property but no plans had been submitted.

Noodles sets grand opening in Tinley

Photo by Bob Bong

Noodles and Company will hold a grand opening Wednesday, July 13, for its newest store at the Tinley Park Plaza shopping center.

The grand opening will be from 10 a.m. to noon at 15915 S. Harlem Ave. in a newly constructed four-unit outlot building at the northern end of the plaza parking lot. The ribbon cutting is set for 10:45 a.m.

Noodles is a national chain that features  a variety of pasta dishes.

The plaza is owned by Brixmor.

Walmart opens in Richton Park

Arkansas-based Walmart opened its new superstore last month at Sauk Trail and Central Avenue in Richton Park.

The new store opened June 1 and replaces an existing store that had been operating at 21410 S. Cicero Ave. in Matteson.

About 150 new employees were hired to staff the new store along with about 200 employees who moved over from the Matteson store.

The new store is about 182,000 square feet and carries groceries and has a pharmacy in addition to the usual merchandise found at Walmart. It also has fueling stations.

As part of its move from Matteson to Richton Park, Walmart donated $1,500 to the Richton Park Police Department.

Mattress store closes in Tinley

A Mattress Firm store at 16005 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park closed recently.

The store used to be a Bedding Experts location and was among those acquired by Mattress Firm when that company bought up the Bedding Experts and Back to Bed chains as part of a $60 million deal in 2014 in which it moved into the Chicago marketplace.

The company also operates a Mattress Firm store across the street at 15970 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park.

A Bedding Expert store at 14724 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park has been converted into a Mattress Firm clearance store.

Houston-based Mattress Firm has been gobbling up smaller chains and earlier this year acquired Sleepy's, an East Coast-based mattress company, as part of a $780 million deal.

The combined company will have more than 3,500 stores nationwide and 80 distribution centers. Many of those stores are within block of each other as a result of the acquisitions.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.com