Jerry and Hope Krawczyk plan to open the coff ee and ice cream shop at 10221 Calumet Ave. "We like the neighborhood. It has accessibility and walking paths.
It's a good family area. It's family-oriented," he said. The coff ee shop will occupy a newly constructed strip mall where the Great American Bagel Bakery just opened.
"It will be three quarters coff ee shop and one quarter ice cream shop," Krawczyk said. Daily Grind started out as a mobile coff ee trailer that went around to different markets around the Region, including in Crown Point, St. John, Cedar Lake and Portage.
It will continue to make appearances such as at the Lake County Fair, the Crown Point Car Show and Kregel's Pumpkin Patch. Customers kept asking where it could be found, so the Krawczyks opened a brick-and-mortar location. "The business blew up so much we had to add a second trailer," he said.
"We have a very good to great following no matter what market we go to." It serves a wide variety of coff ee both hot and cold. The drink menu includes lattes, cappuccinos, refreshers, Red Bull, lemonade, hot chocolate and Boba drinks.
It also serves soup, sandwiches and baked goods. Food options will include a chicken sandwich, avocado toast, chicken salad and a BLT. The ice cream counter inside the café will keep its own hours and operate as a standalone business.
It will serve sundaes, banana splits, gelato and ice cream treats. The coff ee shop will occupy about 2,000 square feet and the ice cream shop 600 square feet. "It will be two diff erent operations in one unit," Krawczyk said.
Daily Grind Coff ee will seat about 30 to 40 people and also have a conference room that can seat up to 20 people for corporate events and other meetings. It will have outdoor seating for 15-20 people during the spring and summer months. It will encourage lingering and hanging out.
"We'll make it comfortable," he said. "We'll have a fireplace and a nice setting that's relaxing. We'll have bingo once or twice a month and see how it goes.
We'll have a nice open window concept with a comfortable feel for people. It will be a relaxed, cozy atmosphere with sofas and couches and bench seating at tables. We want to make it nice and enjoyable so people don't feel they have to rush out.
We want to make it a destination spot people go to for homework or a nice relaxing atmosphere." It will have drink specials like pumpkin spice lattes, off ering diff erent drinks for diff erent holidays. It also plans to do mobile events with the trailer.
"We're going to use the coffee shop to enhance the mobile trailer and vice versa," he said. "You can hire the mobile trailer for high school or person events." The goal is to open in November or December.
It may open multiple locations in the future. For more information, find the Daily Grind on Facebook. Opening Chipotle rolls like a tortilla around rice, black beans and steak into St.
John this week. The Denver-based fast-casual restaurant that's spawned so many imitators many fast-casual starts aspire to be the "Chipotle of pizza, Greek food or (insert cuisine here)" will open its first location in St. John at 9525 Wicker Ave.
on Wednesday. The newly constructed restaurant will include a drive-thru Chipotlane, where customers can pick up online orders without having to leave their cars. Chipotle is hiring for the restaurant, which will employ about 30 workers.
It said it offers competitive benefits like a debt-free college program, access to mental healthcare and a crew bonus that will allow employees to earn an extra month's worth of pay every year. The Chipotle will be open daily from 10:45 a.m.
to 10 p.m. Coming soon Portillo's plans to open its third pickup-only location in south suburban Orland Park.
The elevated fast food chain known for its Chicago-style hot dogs, Maxwell Street Polishes, Italian beef sandwiches, shakes and chocolate cake, intends to open a pickup-only location by the Orland Square Mall. Portillo's also has opened pickup-only locations with smaller footprints in Joliet and Rosemont. The Chicago street foot restaurant will feature two drive-thru lanes and an inside pickup area.
Customers have to order add on the website, app or through a third-party delivery options like Uber Eats. "We are excited to once again expand our footprint in our home state of Illinois with our third-ever Portillo's Pick-Up, located in Orland Park," said Portillo's CEO Michael Osanloo. "The new restaurant combines a sleek look with efficient space utilization to support our high volumes — giving residents of Orland Park a quick and easy way to enjoy our iconic Chicago-style food.
" The restaurant will not have a dining room. It's a prototype Portillo's is billing as the future. It will be designed with a racetrack theme throughout the building, including by making the drive-thru lanes resemble pit lanes.
"On behalf of the Village of Orland Park, the Board of Trustees and I would like to welcome Portillo's to the village of Orland Park," said Mayor Keith Pekau. "The decision to invest in Orland Park speaks to the quality of Orland Park's economy and community. I would like to extend my warmest wishes for Portillo's success in Orland Park.
" The new Portillo's will off er delivery and catering. It will serve up the familiar Portillo's menu that includes char-grilled burgers, chili cheese dogs, beef and cheddar croissants and Italian beef and sausage combos. "It fills me with pride to welcome the opening of Portillo's in Orland Park," said Sarah Stasukewicz, Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce CEO.
"This is a significant milestone for our town, giving residents and visitors alike the chance to enjoy one of the Windy City's hallmark tastes right here in Orland Park. Whether you're biting into a savory Italian beef sandwich or savoring a slice of their famous chocolate cake, Portillo's Orland Park will undoubtedly become a go-to for residents and visitors alike." Dick Portillo founded the hot dog stand in Villa Park as The Dog House in 1963.
It now has 85 restaurants in 10 states. Portillo's is now hiring for the new location. For more information, visit portillos.
com/orlandpark . Open Beyond 4 Walls Christian Center opened Blast Laundromat in its Harvest Square Strip Mall in Gary's lakefront Miller neighborhood The state-of-the-art laundromat opened at 877 S. Lake St.
by the church. "The opening of this laundromat in this section of the city fill several voids," said Pastor Maurice White, Pastor of Beyond 4 Walls. "It off ers residents a new, clean facility to do their laundry, and it also provides jobs so that employees can support their families.
" Blast Laundromat is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.
m. with the last load in machines by 4 p.m.
For more information, call 219-455-6648. Open The Wrap Game Sandwich Shop is serving wraps in the Harvest Square Strip Mall in Gary's lakefront Miller neighborhood. The fast-casual restaurant serves 20 diff erent wraps, including chicken, jerk chicken, steak and salmon, as well as many vegetarian options.
They come in diff erent tortillas, including a jalapeno cheese. Owner Leslie Walker started the Wrap City restaurant on Grant Street in Gary with her mom in 2012. "I had just moved from Indianapolis and wraps were popular at the time and I thought what can we do with that?" she said.
"I was sleeping one day and woke up and thought, 'Wrap City, that's it.'" Her mother since retired and now she decided to open a restaurant all her own. "It's a diff erent era of my life but still wanted to have wrap in there and was thinking, 'I'm in the wrap game.
'" The Wrap Game opened at 887 S. Lake St., suite D, in Beyond 4 Walls' Christian Center's Harvest Square Strip Mall.
"I spoke with the owners of the plaza in Miller when there was a groundbreaking a year prior and came over from Portage when a spot became available," she said. "I like the location. It's close to the beach.
It's close to the beach. It's close to Portage and Lake Station and other communities. It's up and coming.
There's a lot of stuff out here. They're rebuilding the downtown. It's a good spot, especially in the summertime.
The Wrap Game is mostly a to-go restaurant with just a couple of seats inside and a gazebo for outdoor dining. "Everything comes fresh off the grill," she said. "Wraps are considered healthier than sandwiches with bread.
We have low-carb wraps. We do gluten free. They're 12-inch wraps.
They're a nice size." The Wrap Game also off ers paninis and Miss Vickie's Potato Chips on the side, as well as baked potatoes, jerk fries, nachos and parfaits. It has rice bowls, alfredo bowls and soups like a homemade chicken dumpling soup.
It also has a seamoss lemonade and a Lotus natural plant drink. "The keep redoing the menu because prices keep going up and down. We plan to off er lunch specials in the near future," she said.
"The goal when we get it up and going is to franchise. I don't want to work the grill forever." The Wrap Game is open from 11 a.
m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday through Friday and from 12-5 p.m. Saturday.
Closing The Vintage Vault in Dyer closed after nearly a decade. The thrift and consignment store was located at 1423 Sheffield Ave. "For those of you who have known me throughout the years, you know that The Vintage Vault has been a labor of love since the very beginning.
We poured blood, sweat, and tears into this business that my mom and I dreamt up in 2015 and formed some of the strongest friendships with some of the kindest people. We were so fortunate to be as successful as we were, but Covid killed the business we worked so hard to build," Vanessa Peterson posted on social media. The Vintage Vault held a liquidation sale and then closed on Sept.
1. "In the aftermath, my life changed in beautiful ways and it became increasingly difficult to balance it all. Having my own little family, my grandma, and a scaling real estate business, I needed to step away.
This is such an emotional goodbye," she posted. "So many of you popped by regularly to check in and say hi to my grandma and Tim, bringing little gifts and making small talk just because. Many came to my mom's wake and always followed up to make sure we were moving along okay, sent Christmas cards, welcomed my babies and would visit to see how much they'd grown.
Closing this chapter is breaking my heart, but I keep telling myself that the nine years we've been in business has made a difference — to the lonely who knew they were always welcome with a cup of coffee to spend a few hours, to the little ones who couldn't wait to run upstairs and pick up a toy, and to those we loved and lost along the way. I can't express how grateful we are for each and every one of you. We love you all so much.
" The building is now for sale. "These moments are bitter- sweet, but like my mom always said — 'We'll figure it out.' Until then, thank you for coming along for the ride," she posted.
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email [email protected] .
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