Gatto's to open in Orland Park

Brothers Frank and Chuck Gatto are hoping to open their fourth restaurant by mid-April in the Riviera Country Club in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Brothers Frank and Chuck Gatto are hoping to open their fourth restaurant by mid-April in the Riviera Country Club in Orland Park

The restaurant at 8801 W. 143rd St. would offer the same menu as the existing Gatto's locations but the Orland location would also be a first for the chain.

"The Orland location would have a rooftop deck overlooking the pool," said co-owner Frank Gatto. "It's definitely something we haven't done before."

"In addition to being a full service restaurant, we would feature a casual menu for people at the pool," he said.

Gatto said the brothers weren't looking for a fourth location for their restaurant chain, but decided to expand after checking out the location.

"The owner of the country club said the space would be a good fit for us and he was right," said Gatto. "It has some interesting dynamics."

Gatto said the new location would have a main dining room with seating for 140, a party room that could seat 80 and the rooftop deck that could handle at least 60 people.

"The Orland location kind of gives us a chance to focus on the north Orland area and Palos area," Gatto said.

He said the kitchen staff for the Orland location would begin training this week and they were now taking applications for servers, at any of the three existing locations.

"We try to design the line the same from restaurant to restaurant so a staffer would find everything the same whatever restaurant they happened to be working at," he said.

He said the new location would start out by borrowing staff from the existing restaurants so the new restaurant would be able to provide the same service and food as the established sites. 

He said hours haven't been determined yet, but would be close to the hours at the other three locations.

"We'll see what the country club needs and work with them on the hours," he said.

Gatto's will be the third restaurant in the space in recent years. R.C. Mulligan's closed a few years ago and was replaced by Pompei Pizza, which changed its name to Ralph's Pizza late last year and then closed in early January.

Gatto said the brothers opened their first restaurant in Tinley Park in 2000 and opened the New Lenox location in 2006 and the Downers Grove location a short time later.

"Being that there's two of us, we won't be spreading ourselves too thin," he said.

Gatto said the menu would be the same as at the other three locations, which features Italian specialties including some recipes contributed by their mother.

"Mom is a great cook and she provided some of the recipes that we use," said Gatto. "We started out with the basics and now we have 70 things on the menu."

For information, check out their website at http://gattosrestaurant.com. They also have a Facebook page.

Forget paczki, Tuesday is National Pancake Day

Who needs to buy paczki when IHOP restaurants across the country will celebrate Fat Tuesday on March 4 by giving away free short stacks of pancakes in honor of National Pancake Day.

IHOP guests will be asked to make a contribution to benefit the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago before digging into a free stack of pancakes.

Summer jobs at Tinley venue

High school or college students looking for a summer job should check out First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, which is hiring teens to fill 200 part-time seasonal positions.

The venue hosts a couple of dozen shows each summer and is looking for applicants with availability most evenings and weekends. Pay depends on the position and starts at $8.25 per hour. Applicants must be at least 16.

The deadline to apply is March 15. Applications are available online only. 

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.

Siam Marina shooting for March opening in Tinley Park

Siam Marina erected a sign last week in front of the business at 16846 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy 

An upscale Thai restaurant is moving in to the former Casto's Italian restaurant at 16846 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park and co-owner Sam Chung is hoping for a late March opening. 

"We are about 90 percent done with the remodeling," Chung said, adding signage with the restaurant's name just went up in front of the building last week.

"Construction has taken a lot longer than we expected," he said. Chung and Tinley officials have been in discussions over the new restaurant for more than a year.

"Part of the problem is that the Village of Tinley Park has thousands of projects going on, but only two or three inspectors," Chung said. "You schedule an inspection and they can't get to you for a couple of weeks."

Chung said fans of the popular Siam Marina, which was located in Calumet City for years until closing last summer, can visit his other restaurant, Asparagus, which is located in Merrillville, Ind. 

Chung said the menu will consist of Thai cuisine and Vietnamese specialties created by his wife and partner executive chef Tammy Pham, who grew up in Saigon. Other offerings will include Asian Fusion, seafood, vegan and vegetarian dishes.

Chung said the exact opening date will depend on the weather as well as getting inspectors to the restaurant. He said grand opening information will be included in the restaurant's monthly newsletter as well as posted on its Facebook page and at Siam Marina.

IHOP opens in New Lenox

An International House of Pancakes, home of the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, opened in late December at 411 E. Lincoln Highway in New Lenox.

The restaurant is open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.

For information, call the store at 815-717-6373.

Freebie of the Week: Mokena Chamber Business Expo

The Mokena Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Community Business Expo and Health Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Mokena Park District's Oaks Recreation and Fitness Center, 10847 LaPorte Road.

Visitors will be able to find a dentist, a plumber, sports team, dance classes, home repair services, gift shops, bank, restaurants, insurance agent, practically everything your family needs to live, work and play.

Visitors will be able to get free blood pressure tests, be screened for diabetes and discover your body fat ratio.

Admission is free.

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.

J.D. Byrider opens in Bridgeview; Happy Hyundai takes Oak Lawn spot

J.D. Byrider has moved into new digs in Bridgeview.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

J.D. Byrider, a franchised used car dealership, opened in its new digs at 9150 S. Harlem Ave. in Bridgeview last month after moving 77 cars from its Oak Lawn location over the weekend.

General Manager Nicole Martin said the staff spent several hours driving its inventory of cars from Oak Lawn to Bridgeview in the middle of the night.

Martin said the dealership moved from its original location at 9121 S. Cicero Ave. because the Bridgeview site was a better fit.

"We thought it would be a better location, and after only a week we know our hunch was right," she said. "In Oak Lawn, we had lots of drive-bys, but here we're getting a lot more people actually stopping." 

She said the Bridgeview location, which was a former auto service center, has better frontage for the dealership.

"We were able to repurpose the building," she said. "My office was a former quick lube bay. We were also able to make the building look more like a traditional J.D. Byrider location."

"Being next to Menards also helps," said Martin, who has been GM at the store since it opened in a former Saturn dealership in March 2012.

Martin said J.D. Byrider sold the Cicero location to Happy Hyundai, which moved down the street from its previous site at 89th Street and Cicero after remodeling the showroom.

"They are happy," Martin said. "They're getting a bigger location and they will own the site rather than lease."

“We are a specialty dealership that tries to help people with no credit or bad credit re-establish their credit and drive away with a car,” said Martin.

The Bridgeview location is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All Illinois dealerships are closed on Sunday.

For information, call 708-422-9100 or visit J.D. Byrider.

J.D. Byrider was established in 1989 in Carmel, Ind. The company has a dozen locations in Illinois and 145 in 30 states.

Pronto Pizza grand opening

Pronto Pizza, one of the new build-your-own pizza places that are popping up, held its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 15222 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park's Ravinia Plaza.

The pizzeria, which features 45 toppings one can choose from, opened in December and prides itself on being able to cook a pizza (10-inch personal size pies) in less than five minutes. It also offers build-your-own salads as well as signature pizzas and salads.

Pronto Pizza Kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and offers dine-in or carryout. It has beer and wine bar service.

For information, call 708-966-0010 or visit Pronto Pizza Kitchen.

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.