Comings and Goings
Keep track of the latest business openings and closings. Whether it’s a new boutique popping up, a fast-food restaurant closing down or a progress report on a major development, you’ll find all the latest bits of information here. See something while you’re out and about? Leave a comment or send an e-mail to business@rrstar.com and we’ll check it out.

Archive for March 13th, 2008

Restaurant reactions

Add comment March 13th, 2008

People in the Rock River Valley seem to care a great deal about their restaurants. By far the most comments I get on this blog are about restaurants either coming here or leaving.

When I wrote in January that Buffalo Wild Wings was planning to open a restaurant at 6275 E. State St., Rockford, sometime this summer, one enthusiastic reader responded:
“LOVE LOVE LOVE BWW!! I used to live in Bloomington and worked at the one there….I never liked wings or spicy things until I started sampling the buffalo menu. The atmosphere is fun and upbeat and even though it is a sports bar, its dining rooms offer a family setting as well. In Bloomington it is always busy! So good and so much fun! I can’t wait!1

Also in December after I wrote that the Del Taco restaurant at 1555 W. Lane Road, Machesney Park, had closed, I got several disappointed responses. One reader wrote,
“We live 15 miles from the Del Taco, but we loved it so much we went anyway.”
Another said,

“That’s sad. We lived in Southern CA for a few years and loved Del Taco. After we moved back to the Chicago area we actually drove 100 miles to this location. Luckily, one opened up about 10 miles from us in Oak Lawn, IL. I really hope it stays open.”

Responses were mixed to the opening of the new Ember Restaurant and Bar in A Perryville Place, 6957 Olde Creek Road, Rockford. Some people gave it rave reviews, others simply said, “don’t.” I got by far the most responses about this restaurant — both positive and negative — so I guess that means a lot of people are trying it out!