Andy's Frozen Custard adds two locations

Andy's Frozen Custard is constructing its third location in the Southland in Burbank.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Although it has taken much longer than originally expected, Andy's Frozen Custard expects to open on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 5745 S. LaGrange Road in Countryside.

Village officials said all that remains are final touches on the project that includes light poles installations and small interior finishes. 

The Missouri-based company had hoped to be open by May.

Andy's also just broke ground on another location near 79th Street and Harlem Avenue in Burbank. The company had hoped to break ground on that site in April.

“The South Side works for us,” company President Andy Kuntz said earlier this year when announcing the new locations. “These two locations will help our brand awareness.”

The company entered the south suburban market three years ago when it opened a location near 95th Street on Cicero Avenue in Oak Lawn that has been hugely successful.

Each location will employ about 25 people and feature a giant ice cream cone that rotates outside of the store.

The new sites will be the company’s fourth and fifth in Illinois. A location at Block 37 in downtown Chicago closed last year.

Andy's Frozen Custard started in Osage Beach, Mo., in 1986 and later expanded throughout the state of Missouri. 

Andy's then expanded into Arkansas, Texas, and now Illinois. 

Ralph's Italian Eatery shuts down in Orland Park

The restaurant inside the Riviera Country Club at 8801 W. 143rd St. in Orland Park, which in September changed its name from Pompei Little Italy to Davino's and then quickly changed it again to Ralph's, closed after New Year's.

An employee at Riviera said she knew it closed but didn't know of any reason.

"They weren't affiliated with us, they rented the restaurant space," she said.

A manager at the restaurant chain's main location, Pompei Taylor Street in Chicago, said he didn't know the Orland Park location had closed.

"I'm the last one to know anything," he said. "(Owner Ralph Davino) must have just decided to close that location."

The restaurant closed for a couple of weeks in September to tweak its menu and do a little remodeling, supervisor Kelly Voris said at the time. After reopening, it was open only for dinner from 4-10 p.m. and closed Monday and Tuesday.

Voris said a new Pompei Little Italy would be opening soon in Westmont.

Turk's Beef closes in Orland Park

Turk's Italian Beef & Sausage closed at the end of November after 18 years at 14600 S. LaGrange Road. 

The owners said on the restaurant's Facebook page that they closed because of the coming LaGrange widening project that started this summer and is expected to continue for another two or three years.

Fans of the family-owned fast-food restaurant are in luck, however, because Turk has moved his beef operation to Sam's Triple Crown restaurant and off-track betting parlor at 9201 W. 159th St. in Orland Hills. 

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.

Hooters now open in Countryside

A Hooters sports bar opened last month in Countryside.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A Hooters sports bar opened earlier this month at 5925 S. LaGrange Road in the Countryside City Center development.

Construction on the watering hole known for its wings began earlier this year.

The eatery, which got its start in Clearwater, Fla., in 1983, has a staff of about 40 workers.

Gayety's closes Schererville location

Gayety's Chocolates and Ice Cream Co. closed its store in Schererville, Ind., earlier this week.

Gayety's location in downtown Lansing at 3306 Ridge Road remains open, continuing its 93-year-old tradition of making the best hand-dipped chocolates and homemade ice cream.

The Gayety's store in Schererville was operated by an independent owner since October 2011. The owner of the dealership has decided to go in a different direction, said Gayety's owner Beth Flessor.

"We are thankful for the new customers and friends made at the Schererville location" said Flessor. 

"We invite them to experience the original Gayety's in the heart of Lansing." 

There are no plans to open a new dealership in the area, and the Flessors said they were bolstering the Lansing Gayety's to highlight the quality and customer service for which it is known.

Gayety's was established in 1920 in the South Chicago community.

For information, call 708-418-0062 or 800-491-0755, or visit Gayety's on Facebook and online at Gayety's Lansing. 

Hertz opens Mokena office

Hertz car rental opened a new Local Edition location last month in a small strip mall at 9442 W. 191st St. in Mokena.

The corporate-owned office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends.

For information, call the office at 708-478-5088.

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.

Golden Corral opens in Tinley Park

Golden Corral opened today in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The grand opening for the Golden Corral buffet restaurant in Tinley Park was scheduled for 10 a.m.  today.

 

The 11,000-square-foot restaurant is the biggest of three versions available and is expected to have parking for more than 150 cars and seating for 440 when it opens in front of the Menards home improvement store at 159th Street and Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park.

The restaurant, which features breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet options along with specialty options such as a chocolate fountain, will employ between 130 and 150 workers.

Owner Bhavin Patel received a series of financial incentives from the village before agreeing to build the restaurant. Tinley officials waived thousands of dollars in fees, agreed to a property tax discount for the next decade and agreed to share sales taxes with Patel.

The restaurant had an estimated construction cost of $3.5 million.

Hours will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

The Golden Corral chain opened in North Carolina in 1973 and bills itself as America’s No. 1 buffet and grill.

Nearby locations are in Joliet, Bolingbrook and Schererville, Ind.

Joe's Italian Villa to close

Joe's Italian Villa Pizza, which has been serving pizza and pasta for the past 45 years from its location at 8807 S. Harlem Ave. in the Southfield Shopping Center in Bridgeview, has lost its lease and will be shutting down on Dec. 31.

Owners of the pizzeria have no intention of disappearing and are in the process of looking for a new home.

In the meantime, the restaurant's hours remain the same 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and 2-10 p.m. Sundays.

Fans can stay abreast of the search for a new home by visiting the restaurant's website at www.joesitalianvilla.com or its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/JoesItalianVilla.

Longtime Lansing restaurant Popolano's to close

Popolano's, an Italian restaurant that opened 30 years ago at 17940 S. Torrence Ave. in Lansing, will close its doors for the last time New Year's Eve.

Owners were not available but employees said the Lansing location had been hurt by economic changes in the southeast suburbs.

The restaurant is operated by a second generation of family owners -- Jerry Paliga Jr. and his wife Cyndy Paliga -- who purchased the eatery from his parents when they retired.

The decision will not affect a second location that opened 10 years ago in a century-old building in northwest Indiana. That location is larger than the Lansing site and has a large outdoor patio area in picturesque downtown Chesterton.

Courtright's to close in Willow Springs

Courtright's, a four-star restaurant at 8989 S. Archer Ave. in Willow Springs, will pack it in this week after 19 years.

Attempts to reach owners William or Rebecca Courtright were unsuccessful, but the couple posted this on the restaurant's Facebook page:

"It has been a magnificent ride and we thank you all for your love and support these past 19 years! As we bid farewell to this interesting, exciting, challenging, exhausting and wonderful time here on Earth, we experience myriad emotions, but the greatest is gratitude. Our doors will remain open until December 31st, so we are looking forward to everyone visiting us for lunch in December, the holidays or just enjoying one last evening enjoying the beauty of Courtright's. With much gratitude, we thank you all."

William Courtright has been involved in the restaurant business since he began sweeping floors at a family restaurant when he was only 9 years old. In 1965, the 17-year-old Courtright became a chef at Ken's on Western Avenue, the second of four family restaurants on the South Side.

Dan McGee's closes in Frankfort

Dan McGee Restaurant will close for the last time on New Year's Eve at 9975 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort.

The small but popular restaurant opened in the fall of 2007 as a "casual but elegant" establishment, according to owner Dan McGee.

The restaurant announced its closing several months ago on its Facebook page.

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 and www.southlandsavvy.blogspot.com.