Red Mango Yogurt Coming to Orland Park

Red Mango Yogurt is coming to Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Red Mango Yogurt is coming to Orland Park this summer.

The Texas-based smoothie and frozen yogurt chain will be opening next month at 31 Orland Square Drive in the Shops of Orland Square near Orland Square Mall.

Red Mango has more than a dozen locations in the Chicago area, but it will be the chain’s first location in the Southland.

The Orland Park store will be the fourth Red Mango location for owners Trisha and Jeff Fendt, who opened their first store just more than a year ago in LaGrange. They also have a Red Mango in Chicago and will open one in McHenry on July 14.

“What we really love is the product,” said Trisha Fendt. “We love the taste and the health benefits.”

“Orland Park is a perfect fit for us because I grew up around there and know the area,” she said.

Fendt said she and her husband opted for Red Mango because they were both changing careers. She had been a social worker and her husband had been a union plumber.

“We opened our first store in June 2011 in LaGrange and it exceeded our expectations,” she said.

Fendt said the Orland location will be about 1,300 square feet, which will be the biggest one for them, so far.

She said the store will be managed by her brother, Travis Toumey, and will have from 12 to 15 employees.

She said they are hoping for a mid-August opening.

She also said they were looking for more locations.

“We sure do plan for new stores,” she said without divulging where they might be looking.

Red Mango has more than 180 locations and features more than 50 flavors of frozen yogurt. For information, visit the company’s website at Red Mango Yogurt.

Chicago Ridge Mall Dumps Westfield Name

Now that the deal has closed for Starwood Capital Group to purchase Chicago Ridge Mall from Australian-based Westfield Group, the mall has officially dropped the word Westfield from its title.  Not that many people around here ever called it anything but Chicago Ridge Mall anyway.

Connecticut-based Starwood paid $1 billion to buy seven malls from Westfield, including Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet. Westfield will retain a 10 percent stake and continue to manage the 838,608-square-foot mall at 95^th Street and Ridgeland Avenue.

Gyros Express Closes in Tinley

Gyros Express closed recently at 7108 W. 171^st St. in Tinley Park. The restaurant specialized in Middle Easter cuisine and opened last fall. Its website is still active though its Facebook page has been taken down. There is a “for lease” sign in the window.

Techno Wizard to Address Southland Chamber

Howard Tullman, who is the face and mind behind Chicago-based Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, possibly the most ultra-techno-wizard college anywhere, will headline the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce Regional Consensus Luncheon on Monday, July 9, at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive, at 11:30 a.m.

Tullman will discuss “Current Trends and New Technology Developments in Social Media.”

Tickets for the lunch and program are $30 for members and $40 for non-members. Reservations can be made at the chamber website, www.ChicagoSouthland.com, in person at 920 W. 175th St., Homewood, or by telephone, (708) 957-6950.

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.blogspot.com.

Tinley Hotels Finish Major Renovations

Comfort Inn and Suites in Tinley Park recently renovated its rooms.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Comfort Inn & Suites and the Sleep Inn, both in Tinley Park’s hotel complex near Interstate 80 and Harlem Avenue, each recently completed $750,000 in renovations.

Comfort Inn’s renovation included an update of the interior of the building at 18400 Spring Creek Dr. with a more modern style. Visitors will also find a variety of upgraded amenities including free wi-fi in guest rooms and throughout the hotel, LCD televisions, miniature refrigerators and microwave ovens.

Comfort Inn offers 65 rooms with 17 suites including one Jacuzzi suite. The hotel offers an indoor heated swimming pool, business center, fitness center, and a complimentary shuttle within five miles.

Sleep Inn’s renovation also updated the interior of the building at 18420 Spring Creek Dr. with a more modern style. Visitors will also find a variety of upgraded amenities including free wi-fi in guest rooms and throughout the hotel, LCD televisions, miniature refrigerators and microwave ovens.

The Sleep Inn has 73 rooms with a variety of double, queen and king beds. The hotel offers a business center, fitness center, and a complimentary shuttle within five miles.

“Significant renovations have had great impact in helping us give the feel of luxury at an economical price to our guests" said Karla Ruzich, general manager of both hotels. “Our visitors notice the improvements and appreciate the work to create a warm and inviting atmosphere where they feel comfortable.”

Fringe Boutique Moves in Frankfort

The Fringe Boutique is closed while the clothing store makes its move from its original home at 20529 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort to its new home at 27 Ash St. in downtown Frankfort.

The store is scheduled to reopen in its new digs on Thursday.

For information, call (815) 469-0607 or visit the store’s Facebookpage.

Party City Now Open in Mokena

Party City opened last month at 11375 W. Lincoln Highway in Mokena, next to the J.C.Penney store.

The store, which carries party and seasonal supplies, is open Monday to Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For information, call the store at 815-464-0970.

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.blogspot.com.

Evergreen Park's Wolf’s Bakery Carries on Dressel’s Tradition

Wolf's Bakery in Evergreen Park sells its own version of the Dressel Classic chocolate fudge whipped cream cake.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

When I was a kid, you knew it was going to be a good time when a Dressel’s chocolate fudge whipped cream cake made its way to the table. Apparently, so did everyone else of my generation who grew up on the South Side or in the south suburbs.

The cakes were sold at the Dressel’s Bakery and were readily available frozen in most Chicago-area supermarkets. That is, until the company that had acquired the bakery closed up shop many years ago.

A few years ago, while I was still toiling at the SouthtownStar, columnist Phil Kadner wrote about the Dressel’s cake that we all so loved.

After some taste tests, it was determined that Baumann’s Bakery in Palos Heights had a cake that was pretty darn close to the Dressel’s original.

And now Baumann’s is closing its doors for the last time tomorrow. As sad as that is, it’s not the end of the line for the famed Dressel’s cake.

The Dressel’s Classic lives on at Wolf’s Bakery in Evergreen Park, which has been serving baked goods since 1939.

In fact, Wolf’s Bakery at 3241 W. 95^th St. has been selling its version of the cake for some time now.

“We’ve been selling it for a year or two,” said Nancy Dineen, manager at the bakery. “We sell quite a few every day. We make them fresh every day.”

The cakes come in one size, seven inches, and sell for $15.99.

“Each one serves from six to eight,” said Dineen. “I’ve eaten several. It tastes just like the old Dressel’s cake.”

Another sweet disaster averted thanks to the folks at Wolf’s Bakery.

The bakery is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

For information, call 708-422-7429 or visit them online atWolf’s Bakery.

TCBY Back in Orland Park

TCBY opened recently at 14658 S. LaGrange Road in the former Extreme Pita location in the Coopers Square shopping center in Orland Park.

The 1,400-square-foot location is the frozen yogurt company’s 15^th store in Illinois and replaces a store that closed a few months ago at 158^th and LaGrange.

Rami Kashkeesh is the owner of the new store.

Burger King Burns Down

Whopper fans in South Chicago Heights are out of luck since a fire earlier this week destroyed the longtime Burger King restaurant at 3219 Chicago Road in the southeastern Cook County suburb. No one was hurt in the blaze.

McDonald’s Closes for Renovation

The McDonald’s restaurant at 515 Ridge Road in Munster closed this week and will be torn down to make room for a new, improved state-of-the-art restaurant in the northwest Indiana suburb.

The franchise owner is asking customers to frequent his other locations in neighboring Highland.

A business owner in Lansing reported that traffic at the McDonald’s in that suburb had noticeably picked up since the Munster location closed.

The new McDonald’s is expected to reopen later this year.

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.blogspot.com.