Restaurants & Bars
Pop's Opens In Joliet: 'It's Been A Great Location'
Joe Haberkorn II opened his Pop's Italian Beef restaurant on Joliet's Jefferson Street. It's across from the future Tony's Fresh Market.
JOLIET, IL — At 10 a.m. Monday, the empty Boston Market restaurant building on Jefferson Street came back to life as a new Pop's Italian Beef & Sausage.
A breaded steak sandwich was the first order placed at the new Joliet restaurant, according to one of the Pop's employees.
It's been exactly one year since Joliet Patch broke the news that Joe Haberkorn II was purchasing the former Boston Market property at 1866 W. Jefferson St.
Find out what's happening in Jolietfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Monday, Haberkorn celebrated the grand opening of his first Pop's restaurant here in Joliet. His son, Joe Haberkorn III, will be managing the new fast-food restaurant on Joliet's west side.
"We're open," remarked Joe Haberkorn II. "Come on in. We're waiting for you."
Find out what's happening in Jolietfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The new Pop's has a drive-thru window and indoor seating. It will be open from 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
He expects most of his sales will come from the drive-thru lane.
"The drive-thru has been busy," Haberkorn said during Monday's lunch-hour interview.
Haberkorn's goal is to get every customer in and out of the drive-thru in three minutes or less.
"Unless if you have someone order 20 sandwiches, for the most part, it goes pretty quickly," he said. "We're ready and waiting, and we do a lot of catering."
Last Friday, Pop's gave away 390 meals to 32 different Joliet businesses along Jefferson Street and Larkin Avenue in preparation for its Jan. 24 grand opening.
Directly across the street, the vacant Kmart store is being remodeled into a Tony's Fresh Market grocery store. Planet Fitness will also occupy part of the Kmart property.
Haberkorn said he has no regrets about acquiring the former Boston Market for his first fast-food restaurant venture in Joliet.
Joliet Patch asked if he expects to sales will increase even more once Planet Fitness and Tony's opens in the spring.
"Oh yeah, absolutely," he said. "It's been a great location."
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