Sub Dock May Stay Open Until 4 A.M. New Owner Suggests

JOLIET, IL — It's been a year since the owner of Joliet's Baba's Famous Steak & Lemonade became the proud owner of the restaurant right next door to him. Haitham "Mario" Allabadi purchased the Sub Dock at 923 West Jefferson Street, just east of his Baba's.

"I like the property," remarked Allabadi during last week's interview with Joliet Patch.

Baba's has been around for 18 years in Joliet, Allabadi said proudly. The Philly Steak sandwich remains one of the top hits with the customer base, he noted.

"We're friendly with customers," Allabadi said. "Fresh foods, from scratch. We cook everything daily every day. Everybody knows the name (Baba's) in Chicago, big history in Chicago.

"Everything sells here, catfish fillets, chicken wings, Philly steak, chicken steak. The bread comes in fresh every day."

Allabadi said he recently applied for a liquor license with the city of Joliet, so he can offer vodka lemonade and other alcoholic drinks at Baba's.

"We sell a lot of lemonade. We make it fresh," he said.

As far as Sub Dock, Allabadi said he wants to operate a drive-thru window there. Baba's already has a drive-thru window. The previous owners of Sub Dock never had a drive-up window.

For the most part, Allabadi said he has not instituted any huge changes to the Sub Dock menu.

"We've got more customers and everybody's friendly," Allabadi said. "We've got everyday four different kinds of soups. Number one seller is salmon fish with rice. We've got salmon with salad, too, salmon with Caesar Salad.

"We've got a gyros sandwich, hoagie steak, rib-eye steak, Italian beef and burgers."

At the moment, Sub Dock is closed Sunday, and open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. If things work out in the near future, Allabadi wants to keep it open until 4 a.m.

"I need maybe two more weeks for the late, late hours," he said. "And I want to put a drive-thru soon."

Related Joliet Patch story:

Sub Dock Owners Retiring: 'I'm Tired, My Body Is Not The Same Anymore'