Thai restaurants open in Orland Park

The Joy of Thai opened in November in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Orland Park diners with a hankering for Thai food have two new restaurant choices to choose from with the recent openings of The Joy of Thai and Indra's Thai Restaurant.

Indra's opened  in early November at 15880 S. Wolf Road in the former Chicago Taste Gyros in the County West Plaza Shopping Center.

The 2,200-square-foot restaurant is a full service eatery with a bar, patron seating, carry out and delivery options. 

Its owner is Thai native Chaiyut Puangkham, of Tinley Park, who said the restaurant features Thai specialties "but not all Thai dishes are spicy." 

Puangkham made the move to open his own eatery after years as a chef at a south suburban hibachi restaurant.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, from noon to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant is closed Mondays. 

For information, call 708-942-8088 or visit Indras Thai.

The Joy of Thai opened in mid-November at 11013 W. 179th St. in a strip mall near Wolf Road. 

Attempts to reach its owners were unsuccessful, but its website says the eatery features Thai cuisine including curries, salads and soups.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call 708-995-1232 or visit Joy of Thai.

Pet rescue center to open at Alsip Nursery

Alsip Home & Nursery, which recently announced it would stop selling dogs and cats and transform its pet center into an adoption center for rescued animals, will hold a grand opening for the rescue centers at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, at its Frankfort location and Saturday, Feb. 22, at its St. John, Ind., location.

The Frankfort Animal Clinic opened in December inside the Frankfort location at 20601 S. LaGrange Road, which was the first step in transitioning from a pet store into a rescue center.

Dr. John Coyne opened the clinic after operating a similar clinic for the past year in Alsip's store in St. John, Ind.

The walk-in clinic offers routine exams, spays and neuters, microchips and X-rays.

The clinic is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 

For more information, call the clinic at 779-324-5239.

Gayety's reopens Schererville location

Gayety's Chocolates and Ice Cream Co., which closed its store in Schererville, Ind., last month, has reopened as a "sister" store under family ownership at 36 U.S. 41 in the Town Square shopping center.

Co-owner Beth Flessor said she was pleased with the corporate expansion.

"(Husband) Jim (Flessor) and I are happy to announce the grand reopening of our Schererville location. It will have everything it had before and more," she said.

The Schererville location had been operated by an independent owner since October 2011. 

Gayety's location in downtown Lansing at 3306 Ridge Road, meanwhile, is continuing its 93-year-old tradition of making the best hand-dipped chocolates and homemade ice cream. 

Gayety's was established in 1920 in the South Chicago community.

For information, call 708-418-0062 or 800-491-0755, or visit Gayety's on Facebook and online at Gayety's Lansing. 

Italio's grand opening

Fast-casual Italian restaurant Italio, which opened last month at 15139 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park, will hold its grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20. Come out and meet the staff.

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.