Starbucks opens in Lansing

Starbucks is now open in Lansing. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy 

Starbucks opened its newest standalone store in the south suburbs last month in Lansing.

The new store is at 18007 Torrence Avenue, at the intersection with Thornton-Lansing Road. The site was the former home of Artlynn Photography. That building and a few others to the north including Rosemoor Funeral Home were torn down and the land cleared for development.

The developer is Glazier Corporation, which developed a similar Starbucks at the corner of 103rd Street and Harlem Avenue in Chicago Ridge in 2019.

Glazier is not done in Lansing. There are plans to bring in a Taco Bell to the north of the Starbucks and a Chipotle across the street on Torrence, next to Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop.

The new Starbucks is accessible from both Torrence and Thornton-Lansing Road. The shop has a drive-thru. 

The building is a typical Starbucks with a dozen tables, free Wi-Fi and a small outdoor patio.

Although a date for a grand opening and ribbon cutting has not yet been set, the store will be hosting a promotion on Thursday, November 17, when 400 red reusable Starbucks cups will be given away while supplies last.

Hours are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Pizza Castle moves from Gage Park to new home in Hickory Hills

Co-owner Rich Jensen cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of Pizza Castle's new home in Hickory Hills.

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy 

After almost five decades of serving pizzas from a small storefront in Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood, Pizza Castle co-owner Richard Jensen had an opportunity to move into a bigger space and he jumped at the chance.

So, Jensen packed up the family business and made the move a few miles south to Hickory Hills. 

Pizza Castle held a grand opening November 17 at their new location at 7737 W. 95th St. in the Ricky Rockets plaza.

Rich Jensen and Kathy Jensen.

“The best news,” Jensen said. “Was that the pizzas are the same.”

He was worried because the pizza oven that he had been using since taking over the business in 1973 was too big to make the move to the new location and he had to buy a new oven.

“It was a great oven,” he said hinting that someone might want to move in and start up a new pizzeria.

“The oven is key to making good pizza,” he said. “So far, people are happy.”

Pizza Castle was already the name of the pizzeria when his brother Paul bought the place.

“We talked about changing the name, but decided to leave it be,” he said.

Pizza Castle was and remains a family business. Jensen’s wife, Kathy, and his sons Erik, Rick and Kris are all part of the staff. Kris is also a North Palos firefighter.

Jensen said the new location is about three times the size of the Gage Park location. “We went from about 750 square feet to 2,200 square feet,” he said. “We now have a walk-in cooler. Ten tables for sit down service. And we have outdoor seating.”

The new place also comes with a seven-seat bar that will allow Pizza Castle to offer gaming machines, as soon as their license is approved.

“We’ll have four machines, but we needed a liquor license. We only will sell beer and wine.”

Pizza Castle features very thin crust pizza. It has two house specialties: The King Arthur has sausage, mushrooms, green pepper and onion; the Pie by Di has sausage, mushroom, pepperoni and jalapenos. Pizza sizes range from 10-inch to 18-inch.

But pizza isn’t all they do at Pizza Castle. The menu includes sandwiches, pasta, wings, calzones and shrimp.

In addition to the new dine-in option, Pizza Castle offers catering, delivery and take out. 

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

For more information, call 708-930-5600 or visit eatatpizzacastle.com.

They are still hiring, if interested.

Amish pretzel shop opens in Homer Glen

The staff at Ben's Soft Pretzels in Homer Glen. (supplied photo)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new kind of soft pretzel shop opened last month in the Meijer store in Homer Glen.

Ben's Soft Pretzels opened Jan. 18 inside the store at 14169 S. Bell Road.

"We're up front on the grocery side of the store," said co-owner Lisa Brown, who lives in Orland Park.

Brown owns the 950-square-foot store with her neighbor Jim Alfini, his mother-in-law Arline Pearson, and her mother, Loma Hall.

The group had been wanting to open their own business together and unanimously decided on Ben’s Soft Pretzels after Brown discovered them while at a flower show in northwest Indiana.

"I couldn't believe how great they were," she said. "I had to have one every day I was there.

"When I got home, I hoodwinked my neighbors into getting the franchise," she said with a laugh.

Ben's Soft Pretzels is Amish and Dutch inspired. The pretzels are similar to shopping mall varieties but are nearly twice as big "and more delicious," she said. The pretzels are hand-rolled using a special proprietary dough and topped with imported German salt.

In addition to their signature jumbo pretzel, Brown said the bakery also offers pretzel bites called Buggy Bites, Pretzel Stix, all-beef Pretzel Dogs, and Pretzel Pockets with 11 different dipping sauces including cheese, mustard, marinara, and a variety of sweet options.

"We also have four shake options," she said, including parmesan, cinnamon and sugar, sour cream and onion and garlic.

The shop also carries specialty sandwiches such as meatball, Italian and ham and cheese.

Brown said the pretzels are great for noshing while walking around the store or for taking home. "They warm up really well," she said.

Brown said the staff is very friendly and interacts with the children who often stand outside the shop and watch as the pretzels are rolled and baked.

"We have such a good spot," she said.

If business is good, Brown said there may be additional ventures for her group.

"We might go mobile with a food truck in the future," she said. "To take to festivals and events."

She also didn't rule out a second bakery in the Meijer store that opened in Mokena on the same day the Meijer store opened in Homer Glen.

Brown said there are other Ben's locations in the Chicago area, including one in the Meijer in Flossmoor and another one in a Walmart in Forest Park.

Brown said her location has some daily specials including buy one, get one jumbo pretzels from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, double dip Wednesdays and Photo Bomb Thursdays.

Store hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

For information, check out their Facebook page at Ben's Soft Pretzels (HG).

Raising Cane's opens in Oak Lawn

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Louisiana-based Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers will open its second Chicago-area restaurant in Oak Lawn on Valentine's Day. The first opened Jan. 31 in North Riverside.

The location at 11006 S. Cicero Ave. will open to the public at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14. The first 20 paying, dine-in customers 13 and older will receive free food for a year. The first 100 paying, dine-in customers will receive free T-shirts and vouchers for a free Box Combo (four chicken fingers, Texas toast, coleslaw, fried and a drink).

“The people of North Riverside welcomed our first area restaurant with open arms just a couple of weeks ago, and we can’t wait to start sharing our one love with Oak Lawn,” General Manager Melissa Cowell said in a release. “My awesome crew and I have already started partnering with the local community and we’re looking forward to opening our doors and showing our new neighbors just how great chicken finger meals can be.”

Hours will be Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight.

The eatery has about 75 employees.

The company was founded by Todd Graves in 1996 and named for his yellow Labrador. The Oak Lawn location will be the 311th in the chain.

A third Raising Cane’s is projected to open in Naperville in April.

Jeweler closes in Frankfort

Dreher-Weber Jewelers at 21116 S. LaGrange in the Frankfort Crossing shopping center closed recently after 33 years in Frankfort.

Eagle Sports Range, Point Blank Range now open in south suburbs

Eagle Sports Range is now open in Oak Forest. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new shooting range that was plagued by delays finally opened last month in Oak Forest and another new range opened in Mokena.

Eagle Sports Range opened Oct. 6 at 5900 W. 159th St. in Oak Forest at the former Community Motors auto dealership. Point Blank Range & Gun Shop opened Oct. 24 at 18810 S. 88th Avenue.

“We are so pleased to welcome Eagle Sports Range to our community,” Mayor Hank Kuspa said in a release.  “It’s definitely going to be a destination for Oak Forest and the Chicago Southland overall.” 

The 30,000-square-foot facility includes climate-controlled indoor shooting bays (six long-range, 22 short-range), firearm and retail space, a training simulator, a viewing area, a full-service gunsmith shop and private member lounges.  It also includes meeting rooms for conceal carry classes, safety seminars, instructional sport shooting, and self-defense training.

“There’s really nothing like it in the area,” Oak Forest Community Development Director Adam Dotson said in the release.  “From the lobby to the ranges to the classrooms, the owners have paid attention to detail to ensure a safe, positive experience for seasoned and novice shooters alike.”

"Eagle Sports Range will be an important economic driver that will benefit the City of Oak Forest and the Chicago Southland," Jim Garrett, President/CEO for the Chicago Southland Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in the release. “We look forward to attracting marksmanship competitions that will lead to job creation and additional tax revenues.”

The gun range had been expected to open in the first quarter of 2016 but was delayed by construction problems, inspections  and permits.

"There have been many factors that have resulted in our missed dates, from construction to inspections, we have faced many hurdles that come with any business start up and major construction project," owners wrote in early September on the range's Facebook page.

The range is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

For more information, visit Eagle Sports  or call 708-535-3000. 

Ohio-based Point Blank Range & Gun Shop is now open in Mokena and a second southwest suburban store is getting ready to open in Hodgkins.

The two gun stores will be the company's first in Illinois. It also has stores in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky and plans to build more.

Plans were announced in August for a Point Blank location in Merrillville in northwest Indiana.

Construction started last year on the store at 9400 W. 63rd St. in Hodgkins near the Quarry Mall and is expected to be open soon. The store will have 20 shooting lanes and 4,000 square feet of classrooms and offices. The total size of the space is 15,080 square feet with parking space for 80-90 cars.

Construction began earlier this year on the 16,000-square-foot store at 18810 S. 88th Avenue in Mokena, which opened Oct. 24. The range there is expected to employ up to 40 people. The building will have 22 pistol ranges, two classrooms, a large retail area and a storage area. There will be 90 parking spaces with an entrance from 88th Avenue.

Hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Plans call for Point Blank to later add a 13,000-square-foot rifle range at the same site.

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 and www.southlandsavvy.blogspot.com

Office Max closing at Brookside Marketplace

Office Max is closing Nov. 12 at the Brookside Marketplace in Tinley Park. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Office Depot is closing its Office Max store at the Brookside Marketplace in Tinley Park.

The office supply store at 7360 W. 191st St. started its going out of business sale three weeks ago and will close on Saturday, Nov. 12.

The 18,000-square-foot store is one of 300 stores the company announced earlier this year it would close over the next three years. The chain had already closed 400 stores after its acquisition of Office Max in 2013.

The chain is advising customers to shop at the Office Max store in Matteson.

The store closing is the second at the shopping center since August when the Bank of America branch at 7228 W. 191st St. closed. That 4,000-square-foot property is listed for lease on the shopping center's website.

A sign on the front door said the location was closed because of its proximity to other Bank of America locations in Tinley Park, Frankfort, Country Club Hills and Matteson.

Irish sports bar opens in Midlothian

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

JP Flannery's opened last month at 4025 W. 147th St. in Midlothian.

Co-owner Jim McAuliffe called the new pub, which opened on Sept. 22, an "Irish sports bar."

Although McAuliffe is part of the family that operates Durbin's restaurants across the south suburbs, he said PJ Flannery's is not affiliated with the chain.

McAuliffe said his partner is Robin Flannery and the idea for PJ Flannery's was his and hers.

"We came up with the idea for an Irish sports bar," he said and PJ Flannery's definitely fits that description.

The bar is about 4,400 square feet and has indoor table seating for 22 and seating for 35 at the bar. There's also an outdoor patio that has bar seating for 16 and table seating for 55.

The pub features pool tables, dart machines, Golden Tee golf game, hockey game and a bowling game. Patrons can also play bags on the patio. Leagues are forming.

And like any good sports bar there are big screen televisions. Sixteen of them. All 65 to 75 inches.

Video gaming machines are coming, McAuliffe said. "The state has to sign off on the license. It takes about  a month after you open."

PJ Flannery's also has food.

"It's good bar food," he said. "We have pizza, burgers, appetizers and salads." There are free appetizers and a free pizza buffet at halftime during Bears games.

While there's no private party room, McAuliffe said they could accommodate parties on the patio.

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

For information, call 708-926-9662 or visit them on Facebook.

Champps closes in Orland Park

Three Champps sports bars in Illinois closed at the end of August including the location at 16165 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park. Also closed were Champps locations in Lombard and Schaumburg.

Last Call Guarantor LLC, the corporate parent for the Champps locations as well as Fox & Hound sports bars, closed 25 locations nationwide at the end of August as part of a deal to keep the company solvent long enough to be sold. Three Fox & Hound locations in Aurora, Schaumburg and Arlington Heights remain open.

Last week, Fun Eats and Drinks LLC, a subsidiary of San Diego-based investment firm Kelly Investment Group, bought Last Call for $26.8 million at a U.S. bankruptcy court auction.

The building is now for lease.

It was the second time a sports bar in that location was closed because of a bankruptcy. A Fox & Hound sports bar closed Nov. 30, 2014, before reopening Dec. 3, 2014, as a Champps.

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 and www.southlandsavvy.blogspot.com

Billy Jo's now open in Bridgeview

Billy Jo's is now open in Bridgeview. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new restaurant with roots that stretch back to Calumet City opened last month in southwest suburban Bridgeview.

Owner Bill Karambenis opened Billy Jo's restaurant at 8032 S. Harlem Ave.

"We'll probably have our grand opening at the beginning of August," he said.

Karambenis said Billy Jo's would have a menu similar to the one at Panos Big Boy in Calumet City. He worked for his father-in-law there for 11 years.

"We would have customers come from as far away as Nashville," he said. "I'll try to stay with that concept.

"We'll have subs, gyros, Italian beef, hamburgers and hotdogs," he said.  The specialty of the house will be butter garlic fries.

The restaurant is a new construct and Karambenis said he had been working on Billy Jo's since November.

Billy Jo's will offer dine-in, carry out and have a drive-thru lane.

Karambenis said the restaurant would open at 10 a.m. daily. He said closing hours haven't been decided yet.

"We'll see how it is going at the beginning," he said.

Karambenis said he would probably have a staff of five or six when fully operational.

For information, check out his Facebook page at Billy Jo's - Bridgeview.

Frozen yogurt shop closes

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt, which opened in October 2014 in the former Wonderburger location, has closed at 11045 S. Kedzie Ave. in Chicago's Mount Greenwood community.

A sign on the door read, "We've closed our doors. Thank you for your business and support."

Wonderburger closed in March 2014 after being open for 60 years.

Arthouse closes in Palos

Despite efforts to sell the business, the Arthouse of Palos Heights closed last month after more than 30 years at 12707 S. Ridgeland Ave.

Mother and daughter owners Janice and Heather bought the business in 2006. It was known for custom framing everything from artwork to sports jerseys to wall collages.

Owners Janice and Heather decided to try their hand at something else and started looking for a buyer for the business to no avail.

U-Haul closes one store in Oak Lawn, opens another


U-Haul of Oak Lawn announced that its location at 4650 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn, which had been in operation since 1976, closed its doors for the final time on May 23.

The store was sold to neighboring business Mancari's Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealership, which will expand its lot with the adjoining property.

The company said the need to better serve U-Haul customers and upgrade performance prompted the closing. The closed U-Haul store was initially an adaptive reuse project that served as a car dealership property.

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Oak Lawn at 8900 S. Cicero Ave. opened earlier this year to fill the void left by the closing of the 95th Street location and meet the moving and self-storage needs of southern Cook County.

The 2.43-acre U-Haul Moving & Storage of Oak Lawn property was acquired on May 12.

"With this store, we will be able to offer self-storage, more trucks and better accessibility to Cicero Avenue, the main thruway in town," Rocc Bolden, U-Haul Company of Chicago South & Southwest Suburbs president, said in a release.

"Pretty much everything is better at this store," Bolden said. "People are excited about the new location. A lot of customers from the closed store have come over to see us, and new customers have come in that didn't know we were there. Once our self-storage project is finished, this is going to be the type of full-service U-Haul facility that this community deserves."

The new location offers truck and trailer rentals, towing equipment and professional hitch installation, U-Box portable moving and self-storage containers, moving supplies, boxes and much more. Propane is expected to be available in the coming months. The lot allows for a significantly larger inventory of rental equipment than the smaller, closed location.

In addition to a 21,438-square-foot building on-site, U-Haul intends to construct a pristine self-storage facility that will hold about 600 indoor climate-controlled units at varying sizes and price points, with all of the latest security features available.

Self-storage units are expected to be available in 2017. In the meantime, customers have access to storage via U-Box containers, which encompass 257 cubic feet and feature one-ton-capacity. U-Haul Moving & Storage of Oak Lawn can store up to 100 U-Box containers.

For information, call general manager Marc Coffman at 708-422-2332. Hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Reserve equipment at uhaul.com or contact Reservations at 1-800-GO-UHAUL.

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Oak Lawn will hire at least two more employees once the storage facility is built, and Bolden said there would be an emphasis on hiring locally.

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 

Bertucci's to reopen in Palos Hills

Bertucci's is planning on reopening in Palos Hills under a new name. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Bertucci's restaurant, which closed in Palos Hills without warning in early March, appears ready to make a comeback.

The Italian eatery at 10331 S. Roberts Road gave no indication or warning when it closed, but signs have been posted on the property indicating it will reopen and is now hiring.

A spokesman at Palos Hills City Hall, which is next door to the restaurant, said, "Evidently, he got his financing and plans to reopen."

The 2,000-square-foot building had been listed for sale at $179,000 on local real estate web sites and was sold for $160,000. The apparent buyer was PKKS Inc., which lists the property address as its business address and its agent as Klaudia Szulkowska.

The spokesman said that licenses for the business had been approved but had not been picked up, including a liquor license, which are necessary before it can get the state liquor license or open for business.

"It's new name will be Bertucci's Mediterranean Taverna," said the spokesman.

Meijer opens superstore in Flossmoor

The Michigan-based Meijer supermarket chain opened its new supercenter June 23 in south suburban Flossmoor.

The store at 3800 Vollmer Road was one of two new stores the chain opened in Illinois. The other is in north suburban Round Lake Beach. It will be the retailer's fifth store in the south suburbs with other locations in Orland Park, Evergreen Park, Mokena and Homer Glen.

The store opening culminates a project that began 25 years ago when Flossmoor bought the land, cleared it and added infrastructure in an effort to lure a big-box retailer to the village.

Construction on the 192,000-square-foot store took about a year. As a supercenter, it will carry food as well as general merchandise. The store will have a full service pharmacy with a drive-thru, electronics department and lawn and garden center.

Hours will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

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