Wiley’s Grill to Open Saturday at Coyote Run Golf Course

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy

Coyote Run Golf Course, 800 Kedzie Ave. in Flossmoor, will open its new Wiley’s Grill restaurant on Saturday replacing the Northwoods restaurant and its hunting and fishing motif.

Opening day will include Irish dancers, bagpipers, an Irish band and a dinner buffet featuring corned beef and cabbage.

“We did some remodeling,” said restaurant manager Martin Henry, who is running the restaurant for the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District, which owns the course. “We got rid of the dead animals. The moose head is gone.”

“We tore out the old bar and replaced it and added a community bar,” Henry said. “We improved the lighting.

“It has more of a golf theme now.”

Henry said Wiley’s is named after Wiley, the dog that romps around the course chasing away the Canada geese.

“He’s our mascot, so we named the place after him,” Henry said with a laugh.

Wiley’s will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. A halfway house will open daily at 10:30 a.m.

“We’ll have a basic bar menu to start, such as burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches,” Henry said adding the menu will be more creative for private parties and golf outings.

“On weekends, we’ll have a grill outside on the patio, which has all new furniture,” Henry said.

For information, call Wiley’s Grill at 708-957-8774 or visit the golf course website at http://www.coyoterungolf.com/.

Palos Park Starbucks to Close

Coffee lovers will have to find a new source of caffeine when the Starbucks coffee shop at 13000 S. LaGrange Road in Palos Park closes at the end of business on Sunday. The shop’s employees will not lose their jobs and are being transferred to other Starbucks. In fact, about half are moving to the Starbucks at 143rd Street and LaGrange in neighboring Orland Park.

Free Fries at Burger King

The fast-food giant is giving away value-sized orders of French fries on Saturday and Sunday in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. No purchase or coupon is necessary. Customers will also get a sample of Heinz’s new St. Paddy’s Day sauce, which looks suspiciously like green ketchup.

Tobacco Shop Changes Hands in Frankfort's Walt's Plaza

Bazaar Tobacco opened recently at 20873 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Frank Kadoura is a lucky guy. He was able to buy U.S. Tobacco in Frankfort and rename it Bazaar Tobacco just before the village board imposed a moratorium on new tobacco licenses in the village.

Kadoura, of Orland Park, said the shop has been in business in Frankfort for 10 years.

The shop moved down a few storefronts after Kadoura took over last month.

“It was easier to move and remodel than it would have been to remodel the existing space,” he said.

Kadoura also agrees with the Village Board that there are enough tobacco outlets in the village.

“There are five or six tobacco shops and you can buy tobacco products at Walgreens, gas stations and convenience stores,” he said. “To be honest, that’s good enough.”

Kadoura said Bazaar Tobacco features a 32x7 foot cigar room.

“We have cigars that go from $1.99 to $26.99,” he said. “The expensive ones are made from Cuban seed tobacco.”

Kadoura said another improvement was the addition of lottery sales at the shop.

Hours for Bazaar Tobacco are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

For information, call 815-464-0000 or email bazaartobacco@yahoo.com.

Shoppers World Opens Tomorrow in Matteson

New York-based SW Group will open Shoppers World, a discount retailer, tomorrow at Matteson Plaza, 4055 W. Lincoln Highway in Matteson.

This Shoppers World is no relation to the discount stores of the same name that dotted the South Side of Chicago and south suburbs in the 1960s. This one began in Baltimore in the early 1950s and took its name in 1972 when it opened a store in Elizabeth, N.J.

The chain carries menswear, womenswear, lingerie, shoes, school and work uniforms, toys, home furnishings, linens and gift items. The Matteson Shoppers World is its 26th store with locations in New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Maryland, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.

Other Illinois stores are in Gurnee Mills in Gurnee and River Oaks West in Calumet City.

For information and hours, call 708-748-6530.

Crest Lighting Closing in Orland

Crestwood-based Crest Lighting is closing its lighting showrooms in Orland Park and Lisle but will keep open stores in New Lenox and Chicago.

Both locations – 14355 S. LaGrange Road in Orland and 1600 W. Ogden in Lisle – started liquidation sales last week and will probably be closed by the end of next week, an employee at the Orland store said Wednesday.

Calls to the Crestwood office were referred to co-owner Marty Kramer, who was unavailable.

For information, visit the company’s website at http://www.evergreenoak.com/.

Frangella Italian Market Closes in Orland

Frangella Italian Market in Orland Park closed recently.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Frangella Italian Imports, 11925 S. 80th Avenue in Palos Park, recently closed its second store at 178th Street and Wolf Road in Orland Park, but will continue to serve its Italian deli sandwiches, pasta and ethnic specialties at the Palos location.

The phone number at the Orland store, which was called Frangella Italian Market, has been changed to the same number as the Palos location (708-448-2598). The Orland location opened in July 2010.

Orland Creamery to Reopen Friday

The Creamery Ice Cream shop at 9320 W. 171st St. in Orland Hills will reopen on Friday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For information, call 708-873-1297 or visit its website at http://www.mycreamery.com/.

Locations in Frankfort and Mokena reopened last week, while locations in New Lenox, Homer Glen and Manhattan stayed open all winter this year.

The location in Manteno will be opening Friday, March 23.

Gas N Wash Grand Opening

Gas N Wash, 8810 W. 191st St. in Mokena, will hold its ribbon cutting and grand opening at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14. Everyone is welcome. The gas station, car wash, convenience store and Dunkin Donuts have been open for a couple of weeks already.

Free Pizza at Speedway on Friday

Speedway stations in the Southland that sell pizza will be giving away free slices of pizza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, March 16. Not all stations carry pizza so you might want to check your favorite location to make sure it will be participating.