Business Comings & Goings: Face-Lift for Food Court at Orland Square Mall

Orland Square Mall has started remodeling its food court as part of the mall’s face-lift that started last year.

In addition to new tables and seating, the food court will be getting two new tenants when the overhaul is finished by the end of the April.

Minnesota-based ChikWich is a restaurant that specializes in chicken sandwiches. The Orland location will be the chain’s first in Illinois and the first outside of Minnesota. The original location is in the Mall of America.

Zoup! is a soup and sandwich shop that features a dozen rotating varieties every day. The company was founded in Michigan in 1998 and the Orland location will be the chain’s third in the Chicago area.

Two new stores are also expected to open this spring at Orland Square Mall. Call It Spring, a shoe store, is coming to the upper level Sears Court next to Gilly Hicks and Build-a-Bear is coming to the lower level J.C. Penney Court next to Cinnabon.

Great Escape closes outlet store

The Great Escape, which moved last year from its longtime home on 159^th Street in Tinley Park to new digs next door to Best Buy at 159^th Street and LaGrange Road in Orland Park, has shuttered the Tinley location, which it had been operating as an outlet store.

The chain has consolidated its outlet operations at its location in Bridgeview.

Jordan’s getting new name, look

Jordan’s Pub & Eatery at 13500 S. Harlem Ave. in Orland Park is getting a new name and look.

The sports bar is transitioning into the Ale House Grill, which will be more neighborhood restaurant and less sports bar. Ale House promises daily specials, fresh baked bread, two outdoor patios and an easy carry-out area.

Ale House will maintain an upstairs sports bar, which remains open while the owners turn the main floor of the building into a restaurant.

The transition started right after the Super Bowl.

A soft opening is expected soon with a grand opening to follow.

For information, check out the Ale House Grill Facebook Page.

Cleaners closes in Tinley

Neighborhood Cleaners closed recently at 7144 W. 183^rd St. in Tinley Park.

Mariano’s opens first store in Southland

Mariano’s Fresh Market, the Chicago-area branch of Milwaukee-based Roundy’s supermarkets, will open its ninth Chicago-area location and first store in the Southland at 6 a.m. Tuesday when the chain’s largest store to date opens at 21001 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort.

The store will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The chain also announced last week that it will build its second store in the Southland at 111^th Street and Cicero Avenue in Oak Lawn.

Oak Park Avenue to show its Irish Pride

Several Oak Park Avenue businesses are planning on special events for the annual Tinley Park Irish Parade at 2 p.m. March 10.

Miss Illinois USA Stacie Juris will be the grand marshal when the parade steps off at Central Middle School, 18146 S. Oak Park Ave.

Discover Tinley deadline near

Exhibitors have until 1 p.m. March 9 to register for this year’s Discover Tinley expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 23 at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18501 S. Harlem Ave.

In past years, the event has drawn from 3,000 to 5,000 residents of Tinley Park and the surrounding areas who want to learn more about services and businesses in the Village.

For more information, visit Discover Tinley 2013.

Marquette Bank hosts Medicare seminar

The Marquette Club, a social club for Marquette Bank customers over age 50, will host a free Medicare seminar at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at the Marquette Bank branch located at 5700 W. 159th St. in Oak Forest.

Presentation will cover eligibility, enrollment, the benefits of Medicare Parts A and B and the standardized Medicare Supplemental Plans available in Illinois.

To register, call 708-342-8404.

Ribbon cutting today for Firehouse Subs

Firehouse Subs at 15892 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. today.

Chicago Fire holds home opener

The Chicago Fire Soccer Club will hold the home opener for its 16^th season when the club hosts the New England Revolution on Opening Day at Toyota Park in Bridgeview on Saturday, March 9.

Opening Day will likely be chilly but should prove to a good one as the Fire are undefeated in home openers versus the Revolution and own a 2-0-3 home opener record against them.

For a complete 2013 season schedule, visit the club’s website at www.chicago-fire.com.

Fire season tickets and Holiday Packs, which give fans the opportunity to witness the Men in Red in action on Opening Day while  donning four Fire hats and four pairs of Fire gloves included in the pack, are available by calling 1-888-MLS-FIRE, via Ticketmaster or by heading to the website.

Original Rainbow Cone reopens

The Original Rainbow Cone at 9233 S. Western Ave. in Beverly has opened again for the season and will hold its grand reopening celebration on Saturday, March 9.

For the first time, the ice cream shop will give away free Rainbow Cone T-shirts to the first 100 people through the door at noon on March 9. All customers that day can enter a drawing to win up to five times the purchase amount of their ice cream. There will be five grand prize winners and 10 additional winners.

In March, the shop will be closed Monday and Tuesday and open from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

The shop does warn fans that it may close early because of inclement weather.

For information, call 773-238-7075.

Prairie Material truck supports the troops

Prairie Material, which was founded in Bridgeview in 1948 and owns and operates a network of ready-mix concrete plants and aggregate facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, is a proud supporter of breast cancer research that it shows off with its fleet of pink trucks that also carry the pink breast cancer research ribbon.

Now the company is showing its support for U.S. troops home and away with its latest truck that sports American and POW flags and logos.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

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You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.