New country and western saloon opens in Oak Forest

Rockin' Horse Saloon opened last month in Oak Forest.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new watering hole with a definite country feel opened last month in the south suburbs.

Rockin' Horse Saloon and Grill opened Nov. 10 at 5200 W. 159th St. in Oak Forest in the former Oxygen Teen Club.

"It all country themed," said general manager Bob Potokar. "We even have reclaimed barn wood decorating the inside."

Potokar said the three owners decided on a country theme because there was no other country music bar within at least 15 miles of Oak Forest. He said the joint underwent an extensive remodeling to help give it that country vibe.

It appears to be working.

"We have had overwhelmingly great response," Potokar said. "Incredible response."

He said Rockin' Horse features live music on Saturday with a DJ on Friday nights.

"We have line dancing on Mondays and Thursdays," he said.

Karaoke is coming. "Probably after the first of the year," he said.

Helping set Rockin' Horse apart are the baskets of bacon it serves to customers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

"Something to set us apart from others. Every table gets a basket of bacon," Potokar said.

He said the saloon will partner with vendors and country radio stations, such as US99, for special events at least quarterly.

As for the food?

"We don't have total country fare," Potokar said, adding Rockin' Horse smokes its own barbecue cuts.

"We also offer ribbon chips," he said, explaining that it's a potato that is sliced to the size of a ribbon and served in one lengthy piece. "They are very popular."

Potokar said Rockin' Horse will hold a grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 13. 

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

For information, call 708-687-4100 or visit Rockin' Horse on Facebook. A website is under construction.

Berkot's opens supermarket in Midlothian

Mokena-based Berkot's Super Foods opened its 16th supermarket last week at 4640 W. 147th St. in Midlothian.

The new Berkot's opened Dec. 4 in the former Sentry Foods store, which closed in March after being open in that location for 22 years.

Berkot's has a history of opening in former supermarkets instead of building new stores.

Hours for the Midlothian location will be from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Harold's opens another chicken shack

Harold's Chicken Shack, which has dishing fried chicken in the suburbs and city neighborhoods since the early 1950s, opened a new restaurant last month in Lansing.

Harold's Chicken Shack No. 6 opened at 3224 Ridge Road in the Lan Ridge Plaza in the former Jimmy K's Pizza, which closed last year.

The Lansing location is one of the newer franchised operations the Homewood-based chain has been switching to from licensed agreements. 

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

For information, call 708-474-2000.

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