Mondello closes in Palos

Mondello City Grill closed earlier this month in Palos Heights.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy 

Mondello City Grill closed its doors at 13415 S. Ridgeland Ave. in Palos Heights without warning earlier this month.

Managers were told Dec. 3 that the restaurant was closed and they notified workers that the business was shut.

The sudden closing stunned groups that had scheduled Christmas parties, including Palos Heights Mayor Bob Straz.

"It caught us off guard and we had to reschedule our Christmas party," said Straz, who is a vice president at CNB bank in Palos Heights. He said the bank moved the party to Francesca's.

Straz said the closing came as a surprise. "They were just advertising for their New Year's Eve party," he said.

A worker at Palos Heights City Hall said Mondello's had not renewed its liquor license, which expires at the end of the year.

"All we know is that they are not planning on reopening," he said.

Owner Mario Mondello said opening the restaurant was his dream come true when he opened in April in the former Limestone City Grill.

Mondello, who lives in Hickory Hills, is the owner of Mario's Salon at 11329 S. Harlem Ave. in Worth. This was his first attempt at running a restaurant. The salon appears to be unaffected by the closing.

Efforts to reach Mondello for comment were unsuccessful.

Big R store coming to Homer Glen

A Big R store has been approved by Homer Glen trustees to fill the former Kmart store at Bell Road and 159th Street.

The new store is expected to open at 15830 S. Bell Road sometime in 2015.

Big R stores cater to owners of small farms, which are still plentiful in the Homer Glen area. The stores carry a wide range of merchandise from clothing and footwear to sporting goods to farm supplies. Most stores also feature rental centers.

The Watseka-based chain has 16 stores; nine in Illinois and seven in Indiana. The closest Illinois store is about 40 miles away in Morris.

The store is expected to have about 50 permanent positions.

The village approved a sales tax sharing agreement with the retailer for the next 10 years as an inducement.

"Getting the former Kmart property back into productive use has been a top priority for economic development," said Mayor Jim Daley in a release on the village website. 

Frankfort burrito joint closes

Mi Burrito closed its doors recently at 21112 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort. The restaurant opened a few years ago as a location of Oak Lawn-based Lucky Burrito, but it changed its name and menu in the summer of 2013.

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 

New country and western saloon opens in Oak Forest

Rockin' Horse Saloon opened last month in Oak Forest.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new watering hole with a definite country feel opened last month in the south suburbs.

Rockin' Horse Saloon and Grill opened Nov. 10 at 5200 W. 159th St. in Oak Forest in the former Oxygen Teen Club.

"It all country themed," said general manager Bob Potokar. "We even have reclaimed barn wood decorating the inside."

Potokar said the three owners decided on a country theme because there was no other country music bar within at least 15 miles of Oak Forest. He said the joint underwent an extensive remodeling to help give it that country vibe.

It appears to be working.

"We have had overwhelmingly great response," Potokar said. "Incredible response."

He said Rockin' Horse features live music on Saturday with a DJ on Friday nights.

"We have line dancing on Mondays and Thursdays," he said.

Karaoke is coming. "Probably after the first of the year," he said.

Helping set Rockin' Horse apart are the baskets of bacon it serves to customers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

"Something to set us apart from others. Every table gets a basket of bacon," Potokar said.

He said the saloon will partner with vendors and country radio stations, such as US99, for special events at least quarterly.

As for the food?

"We don't have total country fare," Potokar said, adding Rockin' Horse smokes its own barbecue cuts.

"We also offer ribbon chips," he said, explaining that it's a potato that is sliced to the size of a ribbon and served in one lengthy piece. "They are very popular."

Potokar said Rockin' Horse will hold a grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 13. 

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

For information, call 708-687-4100 or visit Rockin' Horse on Facebook. A website is under construction.

Berkot's opens supermarket in Midlothian

Mokena-based Berkot's Super Foods opened its 16th supermarket last week at 4640 W. 147th St. in Midlothian.

The new Berkot's opened Dec. 4 in the former Sentry Foods store, which closed in March after being open in that location for 22 years.

Berkot's has a history of opening in former supermarkets instead of building new stores.

Hours for the Midlothian location will be from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Harold's opens another chicken shack

Harold's Chicken Shack, which has dishing fried chicken in the suburbs and city neighborhoods since the early 1950s, opened a new restaurant last month in Lansing.

Harold's Chicken Shack No. 6 opened at 3224 Ridge Road in the Lan Ridge Plaza in the former Jimmy K's Pizza, which closed last year.

The Lansing location is one of the newer franchised operations the Homewood-based chain has been switching to from licensed agreements. 

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

For information, call 708-474-2000.

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 

Wild Rover closes in Frankfort

The Wild Rover closed recently in Frankfort.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The Wild Rover, an Irish-themed restaurant and tavern that opened at 20535 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort in November 2011, closed down in September.

A message on its Facebook page said Sept. 28 was the last day for the establishment in the former K.T. Mae's in the Vineyards Plaza shopping center.

The sports bar was opened by brothers John and Jim Dillon. It featured Irish specialties and had an outdoor patio.

Pet store closes

Mocha Pet, a pet store and grooming salon that opened in November 2011 at 7537 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park, closed its doors in September after a brief store closing sale. It was one of two Mocha Pet stores and the original is still open in Boston, Ohio.

Siam Marina finally opening in Tinley Park

Although the opening has taken several months longer than anticipated, Siam Marina appears ready to open its doors at 16846 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

The restaurant has scheduled a grand opening with the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce for 5-7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10.

Owner Sam Chung was unavailable, but a manager at his Asparagus restaurant in Merrillville, Ind., confirmed the Monday grand opening. She was not certain whether the restaurant would hold a soft opening in advance of the grand opening.

Chung had originally hoped for a late spring and then a mid-summer opening, but equipment delivery problems kept pushing the opening back.

"Construction has taken a lot longer than we expected," Chung said in February. 

Chung said the menu would 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.

Siam Marina closed its popular Calumet City location more than a year ago in anticipation of moving into the former Casto's restaurant. Its sister restaurant Asparagus remained open throughout the construction.

Chung said fans should watch the restaurant's Facebook page for an exact opening date or they could sign up on its website page at www.siammarina.com for a monthly newsletter. There is a recorded message for customers at its new phone number 708-407-8825.

Hours are scheduled to be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

A new Lou Malnati's opens

Popular Chicago pizzeria Lou Malnati's opened its latest location Sept. 25 at 12801 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights.

The pizzeria is in a small strip center that will also be home to a new Jersey Mike's sandwich shop and Great Clips hair salon.

The location offers carryout, delivery and catering. It is the third Lou Malnati's in the south suburbs and all are carryout and delivery only. The company operates 13 dine-in locations and 25 carryout and delivery stores. Other Southland locations are in Oak Lawn and Tinley Park.

Hours are 4-10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

For ordering and information, call 708-608-2400.

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