Baby's Cheesesteak reopens in new Orland Park location

 

Baby's Cheesesteak is open again in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Baby's Cheesesteak, which closed its first Orland Park location last August, reopened last week at its new location at 15020 S. LaGrange Road in the Art Van Furniture plaza.

"We closed because of the expansion of LaGrange Road and because Starbucks wanted our location," said Baby's owner Andreas DeLeon.

But the company remained open at its original location in Country Club Hills as it looked for a new location.

"We had plazas from as far away as Berwyn and Oswego coming to us asking us to open a franchise," DeLeon said. "But we didn't want to venture that far.

"This location is smaller than what we're used to, but it's bigger than our original store. We went from 85 tables to 21 tables," he said. It also doesn't have a drive-through window.

Business has been booming in just the few days the store has been open, he said.

"We are looking at taking the space next door to us," DeLeon said.

Although the front counter staff is mostly new, all of the cooks have made the trip to the new location.

"I was able to keep them on at our Country Club Hills location," DeLeon said.

DeLeon said the opened was delayed because it took longer than expected to get the beef slicer for the new store.

"We wanted to open smart," he said. "Our customers have been pretty cool with the delayed opening. For the past eight months, we've been getting emails asking when we were going to open. So I knew we had something to go with."

DeLeon said the menu was the same as at the old location with one exception.

"We're doing pizza with Clubber's Pizza, which is a hand-tossed pizza that is very cost effective for us," he said.

Baby's will sell whole pizzas as well as pizza by the slice, he said.

Also new is an oven-baked cheese steak.

"We call it the OBC," he said. "We wrap the cheese steak in pizza dough and then we bake it for about 15 minutes. It comes out like a calzone."

You can still get the original cheese steak or the most popular version "crispy."

DeLeon said he's planning a grand opening for later in July and he's working on 10,000 fliers to announce the new location.

"We deliver to all of Orland Park and Orland Hills and to 183rd and Harlem in Tinley Park," he said.

Hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call 708-349-9800 or follow them on Facebook.

Starbucks, which closed a location in March 2013 across the street at 15833 S. LaGrange, is planning on opening in the former Baby's site. One of the reasons for moving the coffee shop was the lack of a drive-through.

Al's Beef teams up with Da Coach

Mokena-based Al's Beef, who signed Mike Ditka as the company spokesman back in May, has announced that in honor of July being National Hot Dog Month, the chain will add Spicy Jumbo  Ditka Dogs to its menu this month.

The special dog will weigh in at one-third of a pound of Vienna Beef on a poppy seed bun. That's about three times the size of a normal hot dog.

Free Slurpees on 7-Eleven Day

Free small Slurpees will be given away from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 11, which is the annual 7-Eleven Day at participating locations.

The giveaway is the Texas-based company's way of celebrating its birthday.

This year, the company will also give away free stuff every day from Saturday, July 12, to Saturday, July 19, to anyone who downloads the 7-Eleven app for your smartphone.

You can get the app at http://bit.ly/1q9Xzbu.

Victoria's Secret to open first PINK store

The first standalone PINK store in the Chicago area will open at 10 a.m. Friday, July 11, at Louis Joliet Mall.

The Victoria's Secret offshoot "will offer lingerie, sleepwear, loungewear, collegiate clothing, beauty products and accessories for college-age women," according to a release from the company.

As a store within a store, PINK was so successful that it was expanded into its own storefront.

Victoria's Secret will expand into the space once used by PINK.

First Midwest buys Great Lakes Bank

The parent of First Midwest Bank has agreed to pay $58 million for a group of eight banks in the south suburbs.

Itasca-based First Midwest Bancorp Inc. is acquiring Blue Island-based Great Lakes Financial Resources Inc., the parent of Great Lakes Bank. The bank, with assets of $582 million, has offices in Alsip, Blue Island, Flossmoor, Homewood, Lansing, Matteson and Mokena.

“We look forward to welcoming Great Lakes’ customers and employees to First Midwest and to building on the long-standing relationships developed over the more than 100 years that Great Lakes has provided financial services to its clients and communities,” First Midwest president and CEO Michael L. Scudder said in a prepared statement.

The companies expect the sale to close by the end of 2014.

 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

Sports Clips grand opening to include free haircuts

Sports Clips will offer free haircuts when it opens Friday in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Sports Clips, a sports-themed hair salon that caters to men and boys, will hold its grand opening on Friday at 7136 W. 183rd St. in Tinley Park.

"We will offer free haircuts all day Friday," said salon manager Jodi Austin. "And not just haircuts. We'll also offer free shampoos, hot towels and massages."

Austin said there would also be free doughnuts and coffee for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Friday. "Everyone in the community is invited," she said.

Haircuts will begin at 10 a.m.

The Tinley location will be the third for the same ownership group that also has salons at 9239 W. 159th St. in Orland Hills and 14005 S. Bell Road in Homer Glen. The group bought the Orland and Homer locations about 18 months ago, Austin said.

Austin, who also cuts hair, said the Tinley location would have eight stations and a well-trained staff with years of experience.

"This staff has been with me for three years and many used to manage their own stores, so we have loads of experience," she said.

Hours for the Tinley location will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call the new salon at 708-285-6349 or visit Sports Clips.

The chain was started in 1993 in Georgetown, Texas.

New owners for Tinley bakery

Although they won't yet name the new owners, Zettlmeier's Bakerei will be under new ownership starting July 1 at 17016 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

Longtime owners Dee and Paul Zettlmeier announced last week they would be turning over the business at the end of June because they are retiring to Tennessee to tend to ailing parents.

Frankfort General Store to close

The Frankfort General Store, one of those quaint shops in downtown Frankfort, has announced it will be closing June 29 at 119 Kansas St.

The shop has had several owners since opening more than 30 years ago. Its current owners, Jack and Carole Wilger, bought it in 2009. It was known for old-fashioned candy, gourmet foods and specialty gifts.

The owners said a new store was expected to open in July. They also said a neighboring sister store, Glory Bee, which sells patriotic merchandise, antiques and gifts, would remain open at 104 Kansas St.

Merchandise is being discounted up to 75 percent off and they owners said they would offer a thank you gift with any purchase.

Betty's Bistro, Penny's Place gaming cafes open in Southland

A player tries his luck at one of the machines at Betty's Bistro in Countryside.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The gaming cafe scene in the Southland added another player recently with the opening of new gambling parlors under the ownership of Blackhawk Restaurant Group, which operates its cafes as Penny's Place or Betty's Bistro.

The company has opened more than two dozen cafes in communities including Hickory Hills, Countryside, Calumet Park, Lemont, Lockport, Crestwood, Alsip, Joliet and Crest Hill. A new one is expected to open this month on the border of Oak Lawn and Chicago Ridge and new locations are being built or planned in Bridgeview, Calumet City, Matteson and Tinley Park.

"Ours operate like delis or bistros," said co-owner Mike Thiessen. "We offer sandwiches and a light menu with free coffee for players.

"We are not a bar," said Thiessen. "We are well lit. We have plenty of cameras for security. We have a three-drink limit. We figure our clientele to be about 60-40 women."

The cafes range from about 1,500 square feet to 2,100 square feet. Each has five of the gambling machines allowed by state law and there are attendants to make sure the players have what they need.

"We specialize in customer service," said Jerry Luterman, an attendant at the Countryside Betty's Bistro since it opened in February. "There are about 20 regulars who come in on my shift. Some like friendly banter while others want to be left alone with their cup of coffee.

"The guests love that there are no TVs," he said.

As for their locations, Thiessen said "we like busy corners. We usually like to be near malls with grocery store anchors. The Hickory Hills location is in the same mall as a Fairplay Foods."

"We figure to have 50 to 60 open eventually," he said with each cafe employing from 10-16 employees.

Hours can vary from location to location but generally are open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the week and as late as 11 p.m. or midnight on weekends.

"We are flexible on our hours," Thiessen said. "We can close early if business is light or stay open as long as our liquor license allows if we are busy."

The company got its start in Oregon and operates cafes in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Illinois.

Angelo's now open in Tinley Park

Angelo's Fresh Markets finally opened last week at its second location at 7150 W. 183rd St. in Tinley Park, after equipment delays pushed the original opening back more than two weeks.

Owner Carla Bolin said a large meat case, which is a focal point of the new shop, arrived with a glass panel shattered and other problems.

The case finally arrived last week and the store held its grand opening over the Father's Day weekend.

Angelo's will feature top quality meats and also a full deli line, she said, which is not available at the original Flossmoor location.

"We will carry homemade pastas, sauces and flavored olive oils," she said. "The menu will offer 14 different sandwiches, both hot and cold."

The Tinley Park store is about 1,800 square feet and Bolin said she hired four people to work the new store.

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

For information, visit them online at Angelo's Fresh Markets or check out their Facebook page at Angelo's Fresh Markets.

Georgious closes without warning in Burbank

Georgious Restaurant, a family eatery that specialized in American and Grecian food since 1965, closed at 5900 W. 79th St. in Burbank without notice at the end of May.

The restaurant had been fighting foreclosure proceedings for more than a year filed by American Metro Bank in Chicago. 

The establishment posted a notice on its front door saying the business was closed because of action by American Metro. It's phone has been disconnected and its website has been taken down.

The eatery had been in receivership since November, according to court records. The foreclosure proceedings began in March 2013, according to court records.

The restaurant, which had added video gaming devices in the past year, had been robbed in April.

Georgious was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 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 market to open in Tinley Park

Angelo's Fresh Market hopes to finally open this weekend at 7150 W. 183rd St. in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Angelo's Fresh Market was a logical extension for the family meat-cutting business, says owner Carla Bolin.

"We cut meat for white table cloth restaurants across the country and our family and friends were always asking us for steaks or a roast, so we decided to open a retail store (1044 Sterling Ave. in Flossmoor) last July," said Bolin.

The focal point of the new Angelo's Fresh Market, which is expected to open this weekend after unexpected delays at 7150 W. 183rd St. in Tinley Park, will be its meat case.

"We will have a prime grade meat case," Bolin said. "A steak you buy here will be the same kind you would get at Michael Jordan's restaurant."

"The thing most people say after trying our meat is that they forgot what good meat tastes like," she said. "If you shop here, you are going to get restaurant quality meat."

Steaks, however, are not what the store is known for at its first location in Flossmoor, which opened in July 2013.

"The meatballs are our most popular serving," Bolin said. "They are traditional Italian meatballs made with beef, veal and pork and they were a big hit from the beginning."

Angelo's will also feature a full deli line, she said, which is not available at the Flossmoor location.

"We will carry homemade pastas, sauces and flavored olive oils," she said. "The menu will offer 14 different sandwiches, both hot and cold."

The store will also offer artisan cheeses and breads and milk-fed veal.

Bolin said she settled on the Tinley Park location in part because it was a former restaurant, a Quizno's sandwich shop.

"We heard good things about Tinley Park and it did not require a lot of remodeling because it already had refrigeration," she said.

She said Angelo's will continue to look for new locations.

"I'm thinking we'll open four or five new stores," she said. "Our next location will be somewhere in northwest Indiana."

The Tinley Park store is about 1,800 square feet and Bolin said she had already hired four people to work the new store.

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

She said the grand opening on Saturday hinges on village inspections and if the remaining equipment arrives on time and undamaged. A meat case that will be a focal point of the new store arrived with one its glass sides smashed and had to be replaced.

For information, visit Angelo's Fresh Market or check out their Facebook page.

Mimi’s Café pulls out of Illinois

Mimi’s Café, a restaurant that prided itself on bringing a taste of France to the Southland, has closed its only two locations in Illinois.

The Orland location closed before Memorial Day at 16154 S. LaGrange Road and the Naperville location shut its doors Saturday.

A manager at Mimi’s Café in Orland Park said the California-based chain decided earlier this month to close both locations May 31 but Orland was closed early because cooks and wait staff stopped coming to work once they were informed of the impending closing.

The manager said the company had decided that even though the Orland location was busy it was too difficult operating in Illinois with only two locations. This closings were part of a corporate strategy to pull out of limited markets.

Since the chain was purchased last year by LeDuff America from Bob Evans Farms for $50 million it has closed several stores, including about a dozen in May.

A sign on the front door simply said the Orland Park location was closed. All of its locations are corporate owned.

The Orland restaurant opened in 2007.

Cafe closes in Mokena

Nevada Cafe closed last month at 19845 S. LaGrange Road in Mokena. 

The restaurant had been placed into receivership and the building is listed for sale at $799,000, which is subject to court approval.

Nevada was the third restaurant to try its luck at that location. Kingsberry closed years ago and its successor Golden Oak fared no better. 

 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

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.