Oak Lawn Couple Open Marie’s Café

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy

When Dean Kochert started looking for a place to open a restaurant of his own, he ruled out being an Italian beef or hot dog kind of place.

“There are plenty of those already,” he said.

Kochert decided on quick casual, a concept he was familiar with after working for years at the Italian Village and Panera.

The result was Marie’s Café and Catering at 3660 W. 111th St. in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community, which opened on May 7.

“I’ve worked for a number of fast casual restaurants,” he said. “Marie’s is similar to Corner Bakery or Panera.”

“Our niche is gourmet burgers,” Kochert said. “We have six signature burgers and a BYO burger, all served on a unique butter egg bun; toasted.”

Marie’s also has assorted fresh pastries in the morning, breakfast sandwiches, eight kinds of salads, specialty sandwiches and three Panini sandwiches. For a complete list of their menu items, visit Marie’s Café and Catering.

Kochert and his wife and co-owner, Allison, live in Oak Lawn and wanted to open their café in the village.

“We tried to locate in Oak Lawn,” he said. “We looked and looked and couldn’t find a location that worked.”

They settled on a space owned by St. Xavier University that formerly was a Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream shop.

“It’s a good space,” Kochert said. “It seats 55 and is across the street from Mount Greenwood Park, so we get a lot people in from the neighborhood or after they visit the park.”

Kochert said Marie’s has a great stereo system that plays Frank Sinatra music in the morning, easy rock like the Eagles and Bruce Springsteen in the afternoon and dinner music like Natalie Cole in the evenings.

Marie’s is open from Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For information, call 773-840-3344 or visit Marie’s Facebook page.

Baise to Address Southland Chamber

Illinois Manufacturers Association President and CEO Gregory W. Baise will talk about the state’s fiscal recovery during his keynote presentation at the June 11 Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce Regional Consensus Luncheon at the Tinley Park Convention Center.

With more than 20 years in the IMA top spot, preceded by several high level state appointments, Baise has an inside track on just about everything in Illinois. He will talk about how to change non-residents’ perception of doing business in Illinois as well as the present state of manufacturing.

The luncheon, which begins at 11:30 a.m., is open to the public. Reservations are $30 for members, $40 for non-members and can be made on the chamber website, http://www.chicagosouthland.com/, and by telephone at 708-957-6950.

On Stage Salon Opens in Alsip

On Stage Salon, 5418 W. 127th St. in Alsip, held its grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony last week. For information, call owner Olga Trujillo at 708-239-1111.

Wireless Connection Celebrates Anniversary in Lansing

Wireless Connection, 3320 Ridge Road in Lansing, will celebrate one year in business from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Evergreen Park Market Returns

The Evergreen Park Farmer’s Market resumed today at Yukich Field at 89th Street and Kedzie Avenue, next to the fire station. The Evergreen Park market runs from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday through Oct. 26.

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 http://www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com/.