Blissful Banana Cafe Delayed

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A construction issue has pushed back the opening of Blissful Banana Café from this week to mid or late January, said owner Cynthia De Zutter.

The gourmet coffee shop and café will be opening at 15447 S. 94th Avenue in Orland Park.

Arby's closes in Tinley Park.

De Zutter, of Orland Hills, says everything on the menu will be made in-house and good for you.

“We’re steering toward healthy,” she said. “We won’t have any fryers and all of our lunch meats will be nitrate-free.”

De Zutter said the café will feature gourmet coffee, scones, muffins, side salads and a frozen concoction called a Banana Whip.

“We use pure bananas that are whipped into a custard-like soft ice cream,” she said. “Everyone who tries it will love it.”

The café will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tinley Arby’s Closes

The Arby’s at 6857 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park closed recently.

Pama Has new Home

Pama Hair Studio closed in Frankfort in November but didn’t go out of business. It relocated to 16060 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

Owner Patricia Okai said the new location is a little smaller than the Frankfort location.

“We have three stylists,” Okai said adding there was room for one more stylist.

For information, call 708-633-1762 or visit their website http://www.pamahairstudio.com/.

Lockport Gets New McDonald's

A McDonald’s restaurant opened recently at 16519 W. 159th St. in Lockport within sight of the Interstate 355 exit.

It’s owned by the same franchisee that owns a second McDonald’s just a few blocks down the street.

The new location is aimed at motorists traveling on I-355, who can get off and back on the highway without paying a toll.

Wedding Cake Deal of the Month

Creative Cakes at 16649 Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park, which supplied the cake for my daughter’s wedding, has a deal for couples getting hitched this year. Book your wedding cake with Creative Cakes this month and they will give you a $50 gift card. For information, call 708-614-9755 or visit their website http://www.realbuttercream.com/.

Dickey’s Barbecue Coming to Orland

Dickey's Barbecue is coming to Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

About the only thing missing from Orland Park’s cornucopia of restaurants is a smokehouse. And that’s about to change.

Brothers John and Joseph Bak hope to open Dickey’s Barbecue Pit the week of Jan. 16 at 15110 S. LaGrange Road, in the former Fatburger space.

“We’re about 98 percent sure we’ll open on that Monday,” said John Bak.

Dickey’s Barbecue started in Dallas in 1941 and has been franchising the brand since 1994.

Bak said the Orland location will be the third Dickey’s in Illinois.

“Dickey’s is known for its slow-smoked meats,” said Bak. “We’ll be offering beef brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken, smoked turkey, smoked ham, pork ribs and sausage.”

“My brother discovered Dickey’s when he flew into Dallas while returning from Mexico and loved it. He introduced it to the rest of the family and the rest is history,” said Bak.

The Orland Park location is about 2,600 square feet, said Bak. “We’ll have seating for about 55 at tables and booths.”

The restaurant will have 10 employees besides the brothers, Bak said.

The brothers, who hail from Oak Lawn and Lemont, plan on a second location in Oak Brook once the Orland location is up and running.

The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, call 708-226-3090, fax 708-226-3091, visit http://www.dickeys.com/ or check out their Facebook page.

Piggly Wiggly Buys Piece of Tinley Plaza

Inland Real Estate Corp. recently sold 61,000 square feet of the Park Center Plaza at 16000 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park to Piggly Wiggly Midwest LLC for $3 million.

The space is leased by Eurofresh Market. The rest of the plaza remains the property of Inland Real Estate Corp.

Piggly Wiggly has said it has no intention of taking over the space.

Car Wash Closes

Supreme Car Wash closed recently at 15812 S. Wolf Road in Orland Park. The longtime business has been listed for sale for $500,000 and was foreclosed on earlier this year. The building was constructed in 2002.

Dentist Opens in Tinley

Performance Dental Care, an office operated by Dr. Kevin Fatland, opened recently at 7230 W. 191st St. in Tinley Park in the Brookside Marketplace. For information, call 815-526-0360.

Gift Card Deals for Last Minute Shoppers

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Christmas is right around the corner and you haven’t even started your shopping. So, you decide to give gift cards and let your recipient pick out what they want from a store of your choosing.

But not all gift cards are created equal. Many retailers are offering incentives to buy their gift cards. Here is a list of some of the deals available this holiday season.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

• Tin Fish restaurant in Tinley Park has a $25 coupon for anyone who buys a $100 gift card. The coupon is good from January to March on orders of $50 or more.
• Mindy’s in Mokena will give a $20 gift card to anyone who buys $100 worth of gift cards. They have been running this same deal for the past few Christmases.
• Blue Island-based Beggars Pizza with more than 10 locations in the Chicago area will kick in a $5 gift card for every $25 gift card purchased.
• Homewood-based Aurelio’s Pizza with locations across the country also will kick in a $5 gift card for every $25 gift card purchased.
• Massage Envy in Tinley Park and Orland Park will give a $50 gift card to anyone who buys $150 in gift cards.
• Frankfort-based Creamery ice cream parlors will give a voucher good for a free small Blaster for every $20 gift card.
• Culver’s restaurants have a coupon good for a free double deluxe value basket with the purchase of $25 in gift cards.
• TGI Fridays also has a $5 gift card for anyone who buys a $25 gift card.
• IHOP will give you a coupon good for $5 off your next visit with the purchase of a $25 gift card.
• Applebee’s will give you a $10 gift card when you buy a $50 gift card.
• Buffalo Wild Wings will give anyone who buys a $25 gift card a $5 gift card, but it’s only good at that location.
• Denny’s will kick in a $5 gift card with the purchase of a $25 gift card.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill will give you a free burrito, bowl, salad or order of tacos if you show them a receipt for a $25 gift card. Purchase must be made by Christmas Eve.
• Joe’s Crab Shack will give you $5 in Bonus Bucks if you purchase a $25 gift card.
• Little Caesar’s also will kick in a $5 gift card if you buy a $25 gift card.
• Longhorn Steakhouse will give you a coupon for $5 off on two entrees for every $25 gift card.
• Outback Steakhouse will give you a free $20 bonus card for every $100 you spend on gift cards. Bonus cards are good from Jan. 1 to Feb. 11.
• P.F. Chang’s China Bistro will kick in a $10 gift card for the purchase of a $50 gift card.
• Red Robin also has $5 in Bonus Bucks for the purchase of a $25 gift card. Bucks are good from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28.
• Sonic Drive-In also will give a $5 gift card for a $25 gift card purchase.
• Subway will give you a voucher for a free sub with the purchase of a $25 gift card.
• Fuddruckers is another that will throw in a $5 gift card for a $25 gift card purchase.
• AMC Theaters will throw in a $10 concessions gift card with the purchase of $50 in gift cards.
• Famous Dave’s also has a $5 gift card for anyone who buys $25 gift card.
• Steak n Shake will kick in a $5 coupon with the purchase of $20 in gift cards.