Comings & Goings,
A new youth training academy for athletes ages 8 to 18 has opened in
Evergreen Park.
Grinderz Training Academy held its grand opening on Saturday at 10200 S. Kedzie Ave. The first classes for young athletes were Tuesday night.
Co-owner Matt Meierkort said Grinderz offers youth sports training for young athletes who play team sports or just want to know how to stay fit.
“Our specific focus is to give the community a place for kids to go and that is cost effective,” he said. “We want to be welcoming for a kid on a team as well as a kid who is not on a team but wants to learn how to work out. There hasn’t been a venue for that.”
Classes at Grinderz will be small, 10-12 kids, and costs will be $10 to $12 per child.
“We hope we can teach them some stuff,” he said. “Sports training can help a child with self-confidence and get better grades.”
Meierkort and his partner David Torres have other businesses but have both been active in sports for years.
Meierkort has been training in martial arts for seven years and coaches a travel softball team. He is working on a certification in softball pitching. Torres also coaches a travel softball team and has been involved with his wife with the Evergreen Park Stallions Youth Athletic Organization. He’s working on being certified as a hitting instructor.
Grinderz came together pretty quickly, Meierkort said.
The academy will offer classes as well as individual and private training. The facility can also be rented by organizations.
“We just agreed with the Evergreen Park baseball association and the Evergreen Park Eclipse to use our facility,” he said.
Manhattan Firehouse Grill opens in Palos Heights
Manhattan Firehouse Grill is now open at the corner of 127th Street and Harlem Avenue in Palos Heights in the former Nick’s BBQ restaurant.
Owner Anthony Twohill, of Lemont, opened the original Manhattan Firehouse Grill in 2016 in Manhattan in Will County
south of Joliet.
“We closed that location last March,” he said. “Manhattan was just too small and too far away from other communities.”
“The new location is a great spot,” he said. “Lots of people, lots of traffic.”
He said he had been eyeing the location since Nick’s moved out three years ago because of Palos Heights’ ban on video gambling.
The restaurant is in the middle of a soft opening. “We’re just working out the kinks,” he said, “training all of the workers.”
Manhattan Firehouse Grill features fresh, hand-formed, flame-broiled burgers, hand-cut fries, marinara, cheese sticks, and battered onion rings. “Prep starts every day at 9 a.m.”
“We make everything fresh every day,” he
said. “We make the patties, cut the fries.” Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Culver’s breaks ground near Midway Airport
Guy Hollis’ GKA Group broke ground last week on a new Culver’s restaurant at 6541 S. Cicero Ave. near Midway Airport.
Hollis opened his first Culver’s in 2004 in Bridgeview. Over the years, he developed multiple restaurants and created a recipe to create opportunities to keep his best team members and provide them an opportunity to make a good living and grow as individuals. Since 2015 alone, he has developed five mentees who now operate their own restaurants.
“We are thankful for the opportunity to
be a part of the Culver family and to pass on our good fortune to others who helped in our successes. We plan on continuing our growth to include even more team members within our organization,” said Hollis.
Hollis also owns Culver’s restaurants in Berwyn, Bridgeview, Evergreen Park, Franklin Park, Lyons and Oak Lawn.
The restaurant is the 10th development for the Riverside-based GKA Group, said Vice President Anthony Griffin.
The 4,000-square-foot eatery is expected to open near the airport later this year.
FNBC Bank and Trust is providing the financing, and McCon Construction is the general contractor on the project.