Why Did J Willy’s Closed

April 9, 2024

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Even Gordon Ramsay couldn’t save j Willy’s.

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Within weeks of “Kitchen Nightmares” featuring the South Bend barbecue house back in October 2008, the locally owned restaurant closed its doors and has remained dark and vacant ever since. No buyer ever stepped forward, so the idle building slowly deteriorated.

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Until Tuesday

A backhoe demolished the former restaurant at 52885 Indiana 933, north of Cleveland Road, in South Bend.

Longtime area residents might remember dining at the Boar’s Head Restaurant in that spot before it transitioned to Damon’s Grill. In August 2007, the local Damon’s owner decided to change the restaurant’s name to j Willy’s and introduce a new menu that didn’t resonate with local diners.

Despite Ramsay’s best efforts at a turnaround, j Willy’s couldn’t be saved. Check back for more details about plans for the site.

Biggby to close

The local owners of the Eddy Street Commons Biggby Coffee Shop plan to close the doors to their location at 1130 Angela Blvd., in South Bend, on Friday.

“We have greatly appreciated the opportunity of meeting and serving all of you,” the owners wrote on Facebook Monday and confirmed with The Tribune on Tuesday. “This particular store in South Bend is a family owned business. Unfortunately the health and well-being of our family has been pushed to the top of our priorities and we can no longer maintain both.”

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Lisa Russell, her sister, Michelle Hardaway and their mother, Kathleen Baginske, opened Biggby in April 2012. The company is based in East Lansing, Mich.

The Elkhart, St. Joseph and Three Rivers coffee shops remain open.

March Madness for Notre Dame

If you live in South Bend, you don’t have to follow basketball to know that the Fighting Irish men and women have been pretty successful in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

The University of Notre Dame women’s team is scheduled to play Stanford at 10 p.m. Friday in Oklahoma City, while the men are slated to play Wichita State at 7:15 p.m. Thursday in Cleveland.

Are you planning to watch either game locally? What is your favorite sports bar or restaurant to watch basketball, and why? We want to hear your ideas via email at [email protected] or on Facebook at facebook.com/thebasket.

Torrid at mall

A new woman’s apparel store is coming to University Park Mall.

Torrid will offer plus-size clothing and accessories for women and teenage girls sizes 12 to 26 at its planned new mall location. Torrid, which is owned by Hot Topic, began operations in April 2001.

The new Mishawaka store will comprise about 3,250 square feet, according to a state construction report.

Walgreens plans

The long vacant Walgreens building at the southwest corner of Grape Road and Edison Road will soon have a new tenant. But it won’t be another pharmacy or traditional retailer.

A DriveTime dealership is planned at 3717 Grape Road, in Mishawaka. The existing building will be remodeled, according to a state construction report.

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The company is headquartered in Phoenix and operates more than 127 dealerships across the U.S.

Have you heard

Finnie’s Next Door, a new downtown sports bar and restaurant, now has a firm open date of April 11. If you walk past the new venue, located at 233 S. Main St., the owners pulled back the curtains so you can peek inside. We’ll share more details about Finnies in an upcoming column. … Two stores in Roseland have closed their doors, including The Dollar Store, 129 Dixie Way, and The Blue Zoo, 401 Dixie Way. … Our next live chat will be held on April 7.

Heidi Prescott’s column runs on Wednesdays and Sundays. Contact her at [email protected] or 574-235-6070. You also can talk retail at Facebook.com/thebasket and at Twitter.com/marketbasket. Hear her weekday reports at 6:52 a.m. and 8:52 a.m. on The WSBT Morning News with JT at WSBT-AM (960) and WSBT-FM (96.1).