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| The staff at Ben's Soft Pretzels in Homer Glen. (supplied photo) |
Southland Savvy
A new kind of soft pretzel shop opened last month in the
Meijer store in Homer Glen.
Ben's Soft Pretzels opened Jan. 18 inside the store at 14169
S. Bell Road.
"We're up front on the grocery side of the store,"
said co-owner Lisa Brown, who lives in Orland Park.
Brown owns the 950-square-foot store with her neighbor Jim
Alfini, his mother-in-law Arline Pearson, and her mother, Loma Hall.
The group had been wanting to open their own business
together and unanimously decided on Ben’s Soft Pretzels after Brown discovered
them while at a flower show in northwest Indiana.
"I couldn't believe how great they were," she
said. "I had to have one every day I was there.
"When I got home, I hoodwinked my neighbors into
getting the franchise," she said with a laugh.
Ben's Soft Pretzels is Amish and Dutch inspired. The
pretzels are similar to shopping mall varieties but are nearly twice as big
"and more delicious," she said. The pretzels are hand-rolled using a
special proprietary dough and topped with imported German salt.
In addition to their signature jumbo pretzel, Brown said the
bakery also offers pretzel bites called Buggy Bites, Pretzel Stix, all-beef
Pretzel Dogs, and Pretzel Pockets with 11 different dipping sauces including cheese,
mustard, marinara, and a variety of sweet options.
"We also have four shake options," she said,
including parmesan, cinnamon and sugar, sour cream and onion and garlic.
The shop also carries specialty sandwiches such as meatball,
Italian and ham and cheese.
Brown said the pretzels are great for noshing while walking
around the store or for taking home. "They warm up really well," she
said.
Brown said the staff is very friendly and interacts with the
children who often stand outside the shop and watch as the pretzels are rolled
and baked.
"We have such a good spot," she said.
If business is good, Brown said there may be additional
ventures for her group.
"We might go mobile with a food truck in the
future," she said. "To take to festivals and events."
She also didn't rule out a second bakery in the Meijer store
that opened in Mokena on the same day the Meijer store opened in Homer Glen.
Brown said there are other Ben's locations in the Chicago
area, including one in the Meijer in Flossmoor and another one in a Walmart in
Forest Park.
Brown said her location has some daily specials including
buy one, get one jumbo pretzels from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, double dip
Wednesdays and Photo Bomb Thursdays.
Store hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday,
from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
For information, check out their Facebook page at Ben's Soft
Pretzels (HG).
