Mondello closes in Palos

Mondello City Grill closed earlier this month in Palos Heights.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy 

Mondello City Grill closed its doors at 13415 S. Ridgeland Ave. in Palos Heights without warning earlier this month.

Managers were told Dec. 3 that the restaurant was closed and they notified workers that the business was shut.

The sudden closing stunned groups that had scheduled Christmas parties, including Palos Heights Mayor Bob Straz.

"It caught us off guard and we had to reschedule our Christmas party," said Straz, who is a vice president at CNB bank in Palos Heights. He said the bank moved the party to Francesca's.

Straz said the closing came as a surprise. "They were just advertising for their New Year's Eve party," he said.

A worker at Palos Heights City Hall said Mondello's had not renewed its liquor license, which expires at the end of the year.

"All we know is that they are not planning on reopening," he said.

Owner Mario Mondello said opening the restaurant was his dream come true when he opened in April in the former Limestone City Grill.

Mondello, who lives in Hickory Hills, is the owner of Mario's Salon at 11329 S. Harlem Ave. in Worth. This was his first attempt at running a restaurant. The salon appears to be unaffected by the closing.

Efforts to reach Mondello for comment were unsuccessful.

Big R store coming to Homer Glen

A Big R store has been approved by Homer Glen trustees to fill the former Kmart store at Bell Road and 159th Street.

The new store is expected to open at 15830 S. Bell Road sometime in 2015.

Big R stores cater to owners of small farms, which are still plentiful in the Homer Glen area. The stores carry a wide range of merchandise from clothing and footwear to sporting goods to farm supplies. Most stores also feature rental centers.

The Watseka-based chain has 16 stores; nine in Illinois and seven in Indiana. The closest Illinois store is about 40 miles away in Morris.

The store is expected to have about 50 permanent positions.

The village approved a sales tax sharing agreement with the retailer for the next 10 years as an inducement.

"Getting the former Kmart property back into productive use has been a top priority for economic development," said Mayor Jim Daley in a release on the village website. 

Frankfort burrito joint closes

Mi Burrito closed its doors recently at 21112 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort. The restaurant opened a few years ago as a location of Oak Lawn-based Lucky Burrito, but it changed its name and menu in the summer of 2013.

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