Original Baby's Cheesesteak Opens In Joliet, John Bays Predicts It Will Reach Chicken-N-Spice's Popularity

JOLIET, IL — After several months of remodeling, hiring staff, training employees and finalizing its food menu, Joliet has just opened an Original Baby's Cheesesteak and Lemonade restaurant. It's at 203 N. Ottawa Street, a block away from the Harrah's Casino and Hotel. The Original Baby's is occupying space inside Bays Investments' Catholic Charities Building.

"Home of the Original Crispy Philly," the new Joliet restaurant's menu touts. "Baby's Cheesesteak has been serving homemade favorites since 2006. We use fresh ingredients and make every order fresh, just for you. From our signature cheesesteaks and crispy Philly rolls to refreshing lemonade slushies. Quality and flavor come first."

M.J. Sughayer is responsible for bringing The Original Baby's Cheesesteak & Lemonade to Joliet's downtown. He also plans to open a Plush Horse Ice Cream shop inside the Baby's Cheesesteak later this spring, probably May. In the coming days and weeks, he will begin to create the counter space inside the building to prepare for its highly anticipated arrival.

"We're going to for sure have ice cream here," he remarked. He said the Tinley Park Plush Horse location, where the ice cream is made, offers about 60 flavors. He plans to introduce 20 to 30 flavors here in downtown Joliet upon opening before the summer hits.

He and his family started Baby's in Country Club Hills with its original location at 167th and Pulaski. His new downtown Joliet restaurant, formerly a Harold's Chicken & Shrimp, can comfortably seat at least 75 people. Baby's is now open 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It's closed on Sundays.

He and his family have been in the Chicago area restaurant business for more than 30 years.

"We truly are foodies," he remarked during Tuesday's Joliet Patch interview to announce his official restaurant opening in Joliet.

"Our food does not discriminate against anybody. I don't think there's a person who will come here and say there is not something on the menu they would try, whether they're 80 years old or somebody's child. There is something for everyone here. And we're Illinois people, all of our life."

"Everything Has A Cheesesteak Twist"

Sughayer said he plans to work with the Joliet Chamber of Commerce to hold a ribbon-cutting grand opening event in the coming weeks.

He said he fully anticipates this Joliet Patch story will generate substantial buzz and interest not only in Joliet, but in nearby communities including New Lenox, Lockport, Crest Hill, Plainfield, Elwood and Channahon, all communities that border Joliet.

Since a lot of people around Joliet may not have patronized one of the Baby's Cheesesteaks in the south suburbs, his advice is to try to the crispy cheese steak.

"We bake our own bread six days a week and we have homemade egg rolls," Sughayer pointed out. "We have homemade wings. Fresh salads and everything has a cheesesteak twist."

John Bays Predicts Baby's May Need To Install A Drive-Thru Once Business Explodes

The inside of downtown Joliet's new Baby's features a large mural that pays tribute to John Bays new Bays Tower. The 13-story 140-unit apartment building — now featuring a second location for the Jitters Coffeehouse — opened last summer at 311 N. Ottawa Street. John Bays' year-long multi-million dollar renovations to the aging and outdated former Joliet Housing Authority's Murphy Building marked one of his greatest accomplishments of his long and distinguished career as a commercial real-estate investor.

Sughayer said he never would have opened a Baby's Cheesesteak and Lemonade in Joliet if not for Bays' encouragement and strong interest in his food and long-standing restaurant success.

Bays told Joliet Patch he believes Baby's Cheesesteak will reach the stardom that has not been replicated in downtown Joliet since the beloved owners of Chicken-N-Spice on North Chicago Street retired in 2021. Their restaurant property was acquired by the Joliet Junior College and demolished in November 2022 for additional parking lot space at its downtown culinary arts campus.

"Once the word gets out, business will be booming at night," Bays predicted. "I think they will draw more business at night than they get during the day. People have not seen something this good since the Chicken-N-Spice people left the area. Their food is good. We may have to put a drive-thru on the front of the property if business really explodes like I think it will."

Baby's Will Give Away Free Lemonades To First 200 Customers On Feb. 25

Bays said the Original Baby's that opened in 2006 in Country Club Hills did $2 million a year in sales even though it was located in an obscure, off-the-beaten path strip mall and the inside of the restaurant only had seating for 10 to 12 customers.

While Baby's is best known for its original and crispy Philly cheese steaks, customers can order homemade Philly rolls, wings and tenders, catfish fillets and salads featuring shredded Philly steak or chicken. There are six flavors of homemade lemonade slushies: strawberry, original, blue raspberry, purple berry, baby's green and pineapple.

And get this: as a thank-you to the Joliet area, the owner of Baby's Cheesesteak said that on Feb. 25, which is a Wednesday, Baby's will be giving away free lemonade slushies to the first 200 customers that day.

Sughayer wanted everyone to know the large parking lot in front of the Bays Catholic Charities Building facing North Joliet Street is free parking for restaurant customers. He plans to have a sign installed in the coming days so that customers know they can park there as well.

As far as for larger events, Baby's also offers a catering menu. A photo of the regular menu and the catering menu are posted at the very bottom of this Joliet Patch story.

Baby's can offer same day catering for up to 100 people and 72-hour notice for up to 500 people. The restaurant phone number is 779-206-4697.