Granny's Pancake House

I just joined, so maybe this has already been discussed. What happened to Granny's Pancake House on Diversey in Lakeview?

For over a year now the windows are still soaped up and the interior a gutted nightmare. I was a regular but never (I swear they never warned me!) saw this coming and have heard not one word on what happened.

Thank you!
PG

I live extremely close to Granny's. I wasn't too shocked when they closed, as it was never too busy, it's a big space, other similar options are in the neighborhood, and I thought the food was pricey for what it was. I expected it to take some time to make it into something else, but that time now seems endless. At this point, the required gutting should be done. I'm hoping for a wonderful new restaurant, but I'm not sure how much longer we'll be waiting. Every day, I look for a sign, a clue, and none yet.

I was liveing very close to there until recently. I was walking past Granny's on Diversey a couple of weeks ago, and overheard a conversation in which one woman told another that she had been talking to one of the workers inside the restaurant. I didn't hear what he told her, but I did hear her friend say something like, "Oh, is that what they're doing? I thought it was reopening!" I wish now I'd been a bit more forward and had asked them what the plans for the space are.

FWIW, this morning as I took a walk, there was a truck unloading dry wall panels and ceiling tiles into the former Granny's space. I wasn't ever much of a fan of the place.

Recently, the awning came down. Today, I noticed that some of the paper came out of the windows. Finally, my opportunity to gawk!

Well, it's not looking too good. As I looked in, it definitely is some sort of dining establishment. There are booths and a soda fountain. The decor isn't ugly but nothing too trend setting either from what I can tell at this point. There was also some mention of a liquor license on the posted sign in the window. My husband and I speculated that it could be a dinner, Asian, a chain?

Unsatisfied without more info, I got on the web and using the "501 W. Diversey" address, I found some advertisements looking for help.

Neighborhood: Lakeview
Job Type: Full-time
New Restaurant seeking all positions: Lakeview Area
posted 05/26/2006

New Restaurant Seeking all positions. 501 W Diversey, Lakeview area. Looking for Managers, Hoststaff, Cooks, Bussers, dishwashers...
For interview times please call 847-987-0897. Overnight weekend shifts avaialble. Great area to work in with the potential to make great money. Awesome management staff and unbelievable working environment.
For more information please email april@fourpointsohare.com or fax a resume to 847-671-1812. For interview times, please call the number listed above.

Based on the snippet above, I found some Four Points O'Hare web page, and it is definitely looking like a bigger operation, possibly a chain. CRINGE! I hope I'm wrong.

Based on the webpage I found, it looks like four point's ohare is owned by sheraton, which also owns-cringe-Bennigans.....

Seems like its way too small in there for a Bennigan's though...hopefully.

We'll see

"bananasandwiches", I came to the same conclusion that it could be a Bennigan's, but I just hated to put that out here, hoping I was wrong. I agree that the space seems a bit small for that. Everything else seems to match up though. Maybe, it's a different concept that's not as universal, but also from the same company, maybe something they are testing out.

...and the want-ad doesn't say anything about the necessity of wearing "flair"...

Seems the company that owns four points is an independent franchisee that owns a couple dozen chain hotels and restaurants mostly in Iowa and Minnesota. Besides some Bennigans, they also own some Green Mill Resataurants and River City Beefstro Bar and Grilles (that superflous 'e' always means trouble) in Eastern Iowa. My money is on Green Mill since they call themselves "neighborhood" restaurants. Although why somebody would think a chain pizza place will succeed at that location is beyond me (especially one that shares a name with one of Chicago's most venerable institutions).
At first, I thought since the company(KHS) also owns several Comfort Inns and Days Inns that the restaurant might be associated with one of those hotels. In fact, it seems that most of this company's restaurants are associated with hotels. However, the company doesn't own either of those hotels on diversey.

It could also be that the email address has nothing to do with the company that actually owns the restaurant and that the person doing the hiring is just staying at the Four Points Sheraton.

It's going to weird having a "Green Mill Restaurant" in a town that already has an indigenous, non-faux Green Mill.

In fact, if this chain is planning to put in a "Green Mill Restaurant," I'm surprised the real Green Mill hasn't threatened an infringement suit. (Unless they have. Or unless, sadly, there's no basis for one.)

d4v3 wrote:Seems the company that owns four points is an independent franchisee that owns a couple dozen chain hotels and restaurants mostly in Iowa and Minnesota. Besides some Bennigans, they also own some Green Mill Resataurants and River City Beefstro Bar and Grilles (that superflous 'e' always means trouble) in Eastern Iowa. My money is on Green Mill since they call themselves "neighborhood" restaurants. Although why somebody would think a chain pizza place will succeed at that location is beyond me (especially one that shares a name with one of Chicago's most venerable institutions).
At first, I thought since the company(KHS) also owns several Comfort Inns and Days Inns that the restaurant might be associated with one of those hotels. In fact, it seems that most of this company's restaurants are associated with hotels. However, the company doesn't own either of those hotels on diversey.

It could also be that the email address has nothing to do with the company that actually owns the restaurant and that the person doing the hiring is just staying at the Four Points Sheraton.

My previous employers regional office was located next door to a Hapmton Inn with an attached Green Mill Restaurant in Minnesota. If this is the establishment moving in I would avoid it all all costs. Cardboard pizza and sub-TGI Friday's bar food were the standards. What I found amusing was that they billed the pizza as Chicago style. BLECH!!!

Flip

kithat wrote:For interview times please call 847-987-0897.

Why all the speculation when a quick phone call does the trick.


The person who answered said the restaurant was going to be called The Grove (named after the fact that it's at the intersection of Pine Grove Ave) and that it isn't a chain.

You know, I am starting to think that the restaurant has nothing to do with the company that owns the four points sheraton. I think the person doing the hiring for the restaurant may be just staying there and using the hotel's email server. The fax number given in the ads is located at the hotel, and the voice number is a cell phone with a Roselle phone number, but service from Southwestern Bell.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:Why all the speculation when a quick phone call does the trick.

I was just about to suggest that, but it seems Ralphie beat me to it.

You know, the ads make it sound like it might be open 24 hours. That would be a plus.

I'm just happy there's not going to be a god forsaken Bennigan's on that block.