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.

Thai restaurants open in Orland Park

The Joy of Thai opened in November in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Orland Park diners with a hankering for Thai food have two new restaurant choices to choose from with the recent openings of The Joy of Thai and Indra's Thai Restaurant.

Indra's opened  in early November at 15880 S. Wolf Road in the former Chicago Taste Gyros in the County West Plaza Shopping Center.

The 2,200-square-foot restaurant is a full service eatery with a bar, patron seating, carry out and delivery options. 

Its owner is Thai native Chaiyut Puangkham, of Tinley Park, who said the restaurant features Thai specialties "but not all Thai dishes are spicy." 

Puangkham made the move to open his own eatery after years as a chef at a south suburban hibachi restaurant.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, from noon to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant is closed Mondays. 

For information, call 708-942-8088 or visit Indras Thai.

The Joy of Thai opened in mid-November at 11013 W. 179th St. in a strip mall near Wolf Road. 

Attempts to reach its owners were unsuccessful, but its website says the eatery features Thai cuisine including curries, salads and soups.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call 708-995-1232 or visit Joy of Thai.

Pet rescue center to open at Alsip Nursery

Alsip Home & Nursery, which recently announced it would stop selling dogs and cats and transform its pet center into an adoption center for rescued animals, will hold a grand opening for the rescue centers at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, at its Frankfort location and Saturday, Feb. 22, at its St. John, Ind., location.

The Frankfort Animal Clinic opened in December inside the Frankfort location at 20601 S. LaGrange Road, which was the first step in transitioning from a pet store into a rescue center.

Dr. John Coyne opened the clinic after operating a similar clinic for the past year in Alsip's store in St. John, Ind.

The walk-in clinic offers routine exams, spays and neuters, microchips and X-rays.

The clinic is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 

For more information, call the clinic at 779-324-5239.

Gayety's reopens Schererville location

Gayety's Chocolates and Ice Cream Co., which closed its store in Schererville, Ind., last month, has reopened as a "sister" store under family ownership at 36 U.S. 41 in the Town Square shopping center.

Co-owner Beth Flessor said she was pleased with the corporate expansion.

"(Husband) Jim (Flessor) and I are happy to announce the grand reopening of our Schererville location. It will have everything it had before and more," she said.

The Schererville location had been operated by an independent owner since October 2011. 

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

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. 

Italio's grand opening

Fast-casual Italian restaurant Italio, which opened last month at 15139 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park, will hold its grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20. Come out and meet the staff.

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.