Owner dispels rumors of restaurant closure
Frank Salman, owner of Royalberry Waffle House and Restaurant in Palos Heights, has a simple message: “We’re not closed!”
Salman said rumors have been rampant in the area that his restaurant of 17 years suddenly closed.
“We are not closed. We are going strong,” he said, adding that Royalberry is suffering from labor shortages and the toll COVID restrictions have taken, like many other restaurants.
Salman said he has temporarily cut back on the hours his restaurant is open.
“We dropped dinner service because of the COVID restrictions,” he said. The restaurant is now open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Once things get back to normal, we’ll bring back dinner hours,” he said.
One reason he believes people have gotten the wrong impression about Royalberry is because new owners of the plaza took down his restaurant’s sign while they update the facade for the businesses still in the plaza, which he says is more than half empty.
“We will be getting a temporary banner,” he said. “And a new permanent sign in front of the store in three to four more weeks.”
Pete’s Fresh Market purchased the plaza a few months ago, Salman said. Pete’s has been making improvements before they start working on converting the former Dominick’s Finer Foods into a new Pete’s Fresh Market store. Royalberry is adjacent to the supermarket space.
“They said they were going to start work after the Jewel lease expires next month. They are looking at opening in the spring of 2023.”
In the meantime, they have been sprucing things up.
“They are putting up new facades, they repaved the parking lot. A new monument sign will be going up.”
Salman hopes the new supermarket will help his restaurant business.
“I’m not sure if it will help us or hurt us,” he said. “But one thing’s for sure. It will bring more people into the plaza.”
Pete’s has 17 locations and plans for at least six more including Palos Heights, Orland Park, Tinley Park, New Lenox and Oak Lawn.
Captain D’s opens first restaurant in south suburbs
South suburban fans of fast-food fish got a new option to choose from last month when Nashville-based Captain D’s opened its newest franchised restaurant in Posen.
Captain D’s held a grand opening on Jan. 15 for its newest location at 3021 W. 147th St. It is the chain’s first restaurant in the greater Chicago market and only the eighth location in Illinois.
To help celebrate the opening, the restaurant donated 25% of sales from Jan. 15 to the Blue Cap charity.
Owners of the new Captain D’s are Hardik and Tina Patel.
The dining room seats 22 and features the brand’s coastal design. The menu includes batter dipped fish, hand-breaded catfish fillets, shrimp, salmon, and a fish sandwich, along with hush puppies and coleslaw prepared every day. It also serves brewed Southern-style sweet tea.
The Posen restaurant is the first in a scheduled Midwest expansion over the next several years. Another Captain D’s is set to open later this year in Matteson.
Captain D’s Seafood Restaurant first opened in Tennessee in 1969. The chain now has more than 540 restaurants in 23 states.
Peoples Bank, Royal Savings merge
Munster-based Peoples Bank continued its expansion into the Southland with its completed merger of Royal Savings Bank locations in Illinois.
Former Royal locations will be temporarily operating under new hours until the bank systems are integrated under the Peoples Bank brand, which is expected to be completed by April.
Until then, all Royal Savings Bank lobbies will be accessible by appointment only except for the branch in Pete’s Fresh Market at 118th Street and Avenue O in Chicago’s East Side community. That location will now be closed on Sundays.
Starting this week, the Royal location at 1823 W. 47th St. will be temporarily closed. The 1410 Taylor Street location will be closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The merger was announced in July.
Royal was headquartered on Chicago’s Southeast Side and had total consolidated assets of $533 million as of June 30. Royal was established in 1887 and has nine full-service locations.
“As part of this merger, Peoples Bank expects to close at least one Royal Savings Bank location and is conducting a more thorough market review of its entire footprint in order to best serve our customers and communities. With that in mind, we are committed to evaluating all Royal Savings Bank employees for potential roles post-close. In the end, we intend to have a strong market presence in the city of Chicago, Chicagoland, and our core market of northwest Indiana,” said Benjamin Bochnowski, president and chief executive officer of Peoples’ parent Finward Bancorp.
Old National, First Midwest merger approved
Evansville-based Old National Bancorp and Chicago-based First Midwest Bancorp Inc. announced that their merger of equals transaction, announced on June 1, 2021, has received Federal Reserve approval.
With this final regulatory step completed, the merger is expected to occur on or before March 1, subject to customary closing conditions. It will create one of the largest banks headquartered in the Midwest, with over $45 billion of combined assets, a presence in six of the largest Midwestern MSAs, strong commercial banking capabilities, a robust retail footprint and a significant wealth platform.
Each brand will retain its name after the merger is finalized.
Lockport school opens coffee shop
Lockport Township High School has opened a coffee shop at its East Campus.
L-Town Grounds launched in November and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Jan. 20.
At present, L-Town Grounds is open to seniors and school staff, but school officials hope it will be open to all students by Valentine’s Day.
“Having coffee, having tea — it adds to the culture and the environment of our building here on east campus,” District 205 Superintendent Robert McBride said on the school’s website.
The shop also serves as a vocational training opportunity for students and offers experiential learning.
L-Town Grounds is run by students in the special education program. The beans are roasted at Gost Coffee in New Lenox.
Bob Bong is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at bobbong@hotmail.com.
