Demon Dawgs opens in Alsip

Demon Dawgs is now open in the former Frosted Mug drive-in at 11541 S. Pulaski Road in Alsip.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Demon Dawgs, a new fast-food restaurant, opened Friday at 11541 S. Pulaski Road in Alsip in the former Frosted Mug drive-in.

Owner Rusty Findlay, who was an original partner in the popular Devil Dawgs hot dog stand on Chicago's North Side, opened after six months of remodeling the former Frosted Mug.

"We won't have carhop service," Findlay said. "But we have 60 seats inside and another 60 outside along with a drive-through."

Findlay said he hired 22 people as cooks and servers.

Findlay said the menu will include hot dogs, hamburgers, sliders, sausage and wings along with fresh-cut french fries.

Findlay, who has been in the restaurant business since 1989, said he picked the former drive-in because "it was the best location I could find."

He might be on to something. His Facebook page said the eatery ran out of food and had people waiting in line for up to 45 minutes for the grand opening.

The restaurant will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the drive-through staying open until 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Italio to open Tuesday in Orland Park

Italio, a fast-casual Italian restaurant chain based in Florida, is opening its first location outside of the Sunshine State in Orland Park this week.

The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will open at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 15139 S. LaGrange Road in the Orland Park Place mall, in the former Cosi restaurant.

Guests all day Tuesday will receive free food -- either a crisp salad bowl, a heaping pasta bowl or a one-of-a-kind piadina, a kind of Italian-style wrap. All three entrees are customizable with toppings and extras.

The restaurant features family-style communal tables, a patio and serves beer and wine.

The restaurant will be open from 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily in Orland Park.

For information, call 708-403-5555, visit www.ItalioKitchen.com.

No local Penney stores to close

Whether J.C. Penney will still be in business a year from now is a hot topic again now that the troubled retailer has announced that it is closing 33 "underperforming" stores and cutting 2,000 jobs as part of its turnaround efforts.

The Orland Park and Mokena stores were not included among the list of locations scheduled to close, but stores in Bloomingdale and Forsyth in Illinois were on the list.

The closures and job cuts are expected to save the company about $65 million a year.

Sears to close Downtown store

Sears Holdings Corp. is closing its downtown Chicago flagship outlet in April, which will leave the retailer with three stores in the city.

The store has begun holding a closing sale.

Sears Holdings has closed about 300 U.S. stores since 2010. The company has about 2,000 Sears and Kmart locations in the United States.

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.

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.