Willie's Wee-Nee Wagon returns to familiar spot in Tinley Park

Owner Steve Wright stands inside the new Willie's Wee-Nee Wagon at 16707 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Steve Wright has decided to try his hand again at running Willie's Wee-Nee Wagon at 16707 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

Wright, of Mokena, operated a Willie's Wee-Nee Wagon in the same space several years ago but closed it because of declining sales and after a second location in New Lenox near Lincoln-Way Central High School failed.

His second incarnation of Willie's opened last month.

"I love doing it," said Wright, whose day job has been in the construction business for more than 40 years. "I'm going to do it this time. It's a lot of fun ."

Wright said he started thinking about reopening Willie's after Diana's Kitchen, which had opened in the same space, closed last year.

"I thought about it for months before deciding to open it again," he said.

"Everything is basically the same," he said. "I even have three of the girls who worked for me then back. I'm very excited about that."

Wright said the menu is the same one that he inherited when he bought the business from its founder's son Willie Mahoney Jr. The original hot dog stand opened in 1955 near 157th Street and Crawford Avenue in Markham.

"We use Hillshire Farms hot dogs and there's a special way to make the burgers," he said. "The double cheeseburger is our most popular along with the hot dogs."

The Tinley location is small and seats only 16 with a couple of picnic tables outside.

Wright is also thinking about adding some special events this time around.

"I'm thinking of having a steam corn during the sweet corn season and I'm going to organize a hot dog eating contest with prizes for first, second and third."

He has no plans to open a second location.

"Having a second location killed me the first time around," he said. "I won't do that again."

Willie's is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday.

For information, call the restaurant at 708-633-4666.

Eatery closes in Frankfort

Hawgs-n-Dawgs, a restaurant that had an elaborate motorcycle theme, closed recently at 7940 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort. The eatery opened in May 2006 and specialized in deep-fried hot dogs and great french fries.

Sleepy's opens second store in Orland

Sleepy's, a New York-based company that calls itself the world's largest mattress retailer and which opened stores late last year in Orland Park, Frankfort, Evergreen Park and Chicago's Southwest Side, opened a second Orland Park store earlier this month at 158th Street and LaGrange Road in the former Starbuck's.

The Hicksville-based company, which has more than 800 showrooms in 14 Eastern and mid-Atlantic states and carries a wide selection of mattress brands, opened its first Chicago-area store last summer.

 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.southlandsavvy.blogspot.com

Creative Cakes bakery opens new cafe in Tinley Park

Creative Cakes has opened a cafe adjacent to its popular bakery in Tinley Park

By Bob Bong 
Southland Savvy

Sisters Beth Fahey and Becky Palermo could hardly wait for their newest venture to open its doors in Tinley Park.

The sisters, who have operated Creative Cakes for several years in Tinley Park, most recently at 16649 S. Oak Park Ave., recently opened Creative Cakes cafe in space adjacent to the bakery. 

Fahey said she was inspired to open a cafe during a trip to France.

She said the cafe would be modeled on a French street cafe and would serve coffee, sandwiches and crepes.

"It's a cool concept," she said. "A little more artsy and more Frenchy than what most people around here are used to. We're taking bakery to a higher level.

"It will be a nice respite for non-sports bar fans."

She said the cafe would feature natural foods with an emphasis on fresh and organic.

"We'll be focusing on the healthy."

Fahey said soups and other foods would be made in house and in sight of the customers.

"The customers will be able to watch the crepes being made. And they can watch the cake decorators at work."

Creative Cakes Cafe will also feature a full coffee bar along with wine and craft beers from Tinley Park's own Hailstorm Brewing Co.

"We won't be Cooper's Hawk but ours won't be junky wines either," she said. "We have a rotating selection of wines."

She said the bakery had been serving Intelligentsia coffee since 2005 and that wouldn't change at the cafe.

Other plans include a nonprofit art gallery and music.

"I really want to have acoustic music," Fahey said. "And maybe a French movie night."

She said the new cafe will require about 10 new employees, including a barrista.

"We want a foodie sort of staff," she said.

The cafe would have seating for 50 to 70 along with additional seating in an outdoor patio.

"We'll use the existing space for overflow seating," she said.

For information on the cafe, check out Creative Cakes on Facebook or Creative Cakes online.

Harbor Freight Tools opens in Orland

Harbor Freight Tools will hold a grand opening from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at 7520 W. 159th St. in Orland Park in the former Advance Auto Parts store that moved into new digs earlier this year.

The company started in 1977 and now has more than locations nationwide. The family-owned chain carries more than 7,000 tools and accessories.

Hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
For information, visit Harbor Freight Tools.

Frankfort Country Market open for season

The 2014 Frankfort Country Market is now open every Sunday until Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Frankfort.

The Spring Market (from April 27 through June 1) features early crops and plantings; the Summer Market (from June 8 through Oct. 26) features a wide variety of seasonal produce, freshly produced foods, seminars, chef demos and activities for the entire family.

Market hours in the fall (from Sept. 7 through Oct. 26) will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  In addition to the expanded market introduced in 2013, the 2014 season will include entertainment every Sunday on the newly renovated Breidert Green stage during the summer market, and a “Munchkin Market” activity area. 

 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 

Hailstorm Brewery opens in Tinley Park

Bar manager Gene Wabiszczewicz and tasting room bartender Rachel Shaw with one of the five brews on tap at Hailstorm Brewing in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy 
 

A new craft brewery tapped its first kegs earlier this month when Hailstorm Brewing opened the doors at 8060 W. 186th St. in Tinley Park.

Co-owner Chris Schiller, of Orland Park, said Hailstorm was a production brewery rather than a brew pub with its beers, stouts and ales meant for distribution through bars and stores or directly to the public in half-gallon jugs called growlers or 22-ounce bottles known as bombers.

"We have no food," he said. "And we have a small tasting room" that will accommodate a few dozen people at the most.

"We're looking to produce about 4,000 barrels this year," he said. "Which is a pretty good starting out point for a small brewery."

Schiller said Hailstorm will keep its main circulation area small to ensure quality.

"Our core will be Tinley, Orland, Frankfort and Mokena," he said. "Though we will eventually reach out to Bolingbrook and Naperville and Blue Island."

Schiller said Hailstorm would specialize in barrel-aged beers that can take up to a year to be ready to be tapped and sours, which is a growing sector of the craft beer market.

"Sours feature a sour taste that can create some complex flavors," he said. "Beer geeks love the stuff."

"We will also feature Belgian tripels that can have an alcohol content of 11 to 14 percent," he said.

Hailstorm brews are or soon will be available at stores such as Binny's and Kenwood Liquors in Oak Lawn and Homer Glen.

"We are waiting on labels before we can start selling 22-ounce bottles," Schiller said.

In the meantime, Hailstorm brews are available at Ariel's Irish restaurant in Tinley Park, Mama Maria's in Orland Park and the Mapletree Inn in Blue Island. It also is available at Emporium Beer Arcade in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

Hailstorm is set to debut at Tribes Alehouse in Mokena and Tinley Park with a tasting demonstration in June, Schiller said.

Schiller said his move from a consulting, software and IT career came after he spent about five years as a home brewer.

"You have to follow your hobby," he said.

Co-owner Brandon Banbury, of Frankfort, is the head brewer who decided on a career change after some of his home brews won national awards and gained a lot of recognition.

For information, check out Hailstorm Brewing.

Italian restaurant opens in Palos Heights

Mondello City Grill opened earlier in April in the former Limestone City Grill space at 13415 S. Ridgeland Ave. in Palos Heights.

Owner Mario Mondello said the eatery would feature fine casual dining with a mixed menu of Italian and American cuisine, though it leans toward Italian.

Mondello, of Hickory Hills, is the longtime owner of Mario's Salon at 11329 S. Harlem Ave. in Worth. This is his first attempt at running a restaurant.

Mondello's is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, from 4-10:30 p.m. Saturday and from 4-9 p.m. Sunday.

For information and to make reservations, call 708-925-9191 or visit their website.

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.