March 28, 2024
Local News

Changes at Giovan's, Tin Roof restaurants

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Changes are being made at two familiar local restaurants.

Giovan’s Restaurant & Pizzeria in Crest Hill will close after business on Saturday with plans to reopen this fall at a new and smaller location.

The Tin Roof restaurant in downtown Joliet reopened Monday as Kalypso after a rebranding and change in management.

The Giovan’s location at 1804 N. Larkin Ave. has been a restaurant for decades, opening first as Nino’s Steak House and later becoming part of the Salerno’s regional restaurant chain, Giovan Culletta said.

Giovan’s opened 13 years ago.

He has sold the building, which will be demolished and replaced with a Fuller’s Carwash.

The decision was prompted in part by the challenges of maintaining the building, Culletta said.

It’s just an old building,” he said. “It’s older than me, and I’m 43.”

Culletta said he still is in negotiations for a lease for a new site, which will be nearby. The new business will include some tables but be primarily carry-out and catering, he said.

He plans to reopen in the fall.

The Tin Roof name change occurred after the restaurant concept had been changing over time, said Mike Petry, who owns the restaurant and building that houses it at 158 N. Chicago St.

“Tin Roof had a certain clientele,” Petry said. “We were changing a lot of the concepts and people weren’t familiar with that. We needed to rebrand it.”

Chef Jimmy Bernard said two features of the Kalypso restaurant include sous vide cooking and vegetables from Creekside Natural Farm in Minooka.

“We have a farm that we get a large amount of our produce from,” Bernard said.

The Tin Roof opened four years ago.

Bob Okon

Bob Okon

Bob Okon covers local government for The Herald-News