September 30, 2023
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Peru landed a Popeyes: What’s the next fast food chain to locate in the Illinois Valley?

A look at the 25 fastest growing fast food chains and their closest locations

By Derek Barichello
Construction is underway for the new Popeye's near Route 47 in Yorkville. The franchise is expected to open in September, according to city economic officials.

If all goes to plan, a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is set to open as early as late fall in Peru, but what fast food chain restaurant could be next in line?

The Illinois Valley soon will have a Popeyes.

The Peru City Council approved Monday a sale of land at 1839 and 1841 May Road to a developer with plans to bring the chain – known for fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits – to Peru.

QSR published the list of the 25 fastest growing fast-food chains in America in 2022. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen was No. 9 on the list. Fourteen of these companies already have restaurants within the Illinois Valley. Here is a look at the others on the list and where their closest locations are to the region.

“It’s difficult to land Portillo’s but our team is trying.”

—  Peru Mayor Ken Kolowski

(Restaurants without a location in the Illinois Valley are bolded)

1. Jersey Mike’s: The fastest growing fast-food chain in America opened in 2018 in Peru at 4341 Venture Dr.

2. Domino’s: There is a Domino’s Pizza located in Ottawa (200 E. Norris Dr.), Peru (1002 Shooting Park Road) and Streator (1613 N. Bloomington St.).

3. Taco Bell: There is a Taco Bell in Ottawa (4109 Columbus St), Peru (5257 Trompeter Road), Mendota (1009 Steve Bowne Dr.) and Streator (2008 N. Bloomington St.). The Taco Bell in Oglesby recently closed.

4. Chipotle: Chipotle opened six years ago in Peru at 4349 Venture Dr.

5. Wingstop: With about 1,500 franchise stores and growing, the closest Wingstop restaurants to the Illinois Valley are in Joliet and Oswego to the north and Peoria to the south. No surprise, the chain specializes in chicken wings. The restaurant chain was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, and began offering franchises in 1997.

6. Dunkin’: Earlier this month, a new Dunkin’-Baskin Robbins store opened in Ottawa. Streator also has a Dunkin’-Baskin Robbins that opened in 2018. Peru’s store on Shooting Park Road is just a Dunkin’.

7. Chick-fil-A: It’s still about a 45 minute to an hour drive for Illinois Valley residents to get to the closest Chick-fil-A in either Bloomington, Peoria or Joliet.

8. Panda Express: A Panda Express opened recently in Morris.

9. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: Construction could begin as soon as summer in Peru and a restaurant opened in late fall, according to Peru city officials.

10. Tropical Smoothie Cafe: With more than 1,000 franchises, the restaurant specializing in smoothies, sandwiches and wraps is closest to the Illinois Valley in Joliet. There are several other Chicagoland locations.

11. Starbucks: Peru has three Starbucks, a standalone store and shops in HyVee and Target. There is a standalone Starbucks in Ottawa and a shop in the Kroger in Streator.

12. Baskin-Robbins: There is a Baskin-Robbins with Dunkin’ in Streator (at the corner of Marilla Park Road and Bloomington Street), and now in Ottawa (across from the former Dunkin’).

13. Raising Cane’s: To get a taste of the restaurant’s famous chicken fingers, Illinois Valley residents have to travel to DeKalb, Joliet or Shorewood. The Raising Cane’s in DeKalb went viral for having the loudest men’s bathroom door on Earth.

14. Wendy’s: A new Wendy’s opened at 2403 N. Bloomington St. in Streator in December 2019. There also are Wendy’s located in Ottawa (1440 Columbus St.), Peru (1420 38th St.) and Princeton (2226 Main St.).

15. Culver’s: Peru (1600 Midtown Road), Princeton (224 Ace Road) and Ottawa (3001 Fairfield Lane) have a Culver’s restaurant.

16. Jimmy John’s: Streator joined Princeton, Spring Valley, Peru, Utica and Ottawa in 2022 in having a Jimmy John’s, when one opened next to Wendy’s.

17. Marco’s Pizza: A Marco’s Pizza closed in Streator. Illinois Valley residents have to travel to Bloomington, Peoria or Plainfield for the next closest taste.

18. Arby’s: Streator seemed poised to join Ottawa (4131 Columbus St.) and Peru (1530 May Road) in getting an Arby’s, but the Streator City Council voted down an economic incentive to attract the chain. The developer’s plans to build the restaurant were uncertain after the council’s action.

19. Shake Shack: Burgers, crinkle cut fries, milkshakes and frozen custard are Shake Shack’s speciality. The closest locations are in the suburban shopping centers of Oak Brook, Schaumburg and Oak Lawn.

20. Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers: Starting in Wichita, Kansas, Freddy’s has made-to-order steakburgers, among other items. The closest locations to the Illinois Valley are in Frankfort and Romeoville to the east, Davenport, Iowa to the west and Champaign to the south.

21. Papa John’s: The lone Papa John’s in the Illinois Valley is located at 700 Columbus St. in Ottawa.

22. Whataburger: Whataburger is a regional fast food restaurant chain, headquartered and based in Texas, that specializes in burgers. There are no restaurants in Illinois.

23. Sonic Drive-In: Founded in Oklahoma, there is a Sonic in Normal and Pekin, and more than 3,500 sites across the country.

24. Burger King: Counting the Burger King at Sapp Brothers Travel Center, there are two Burger Kings in Peru, and one in Streator, Wenona and Ottawa. The Burger King at the Circle K in Marseilles and the restaurant in Oglesby are permanently closed.

25. McAlister’s Deli: Illinois Valley residents will have to travel to Naperville, Montgomery, Mokena, Peoria or the Quad Cities to eat at the sandwich, soup, salads and spuds restaurant. There are more than 500 locations in 29 states.

‘Our team is trying,’ Peru mayor says

Though Portillo’s didn’t crack the list, it’s found frequently mentioned in the comments section on social media of any new restaurant opening in the Illinois Valley. So much so, Peru Mayor Ken Kolowski responded to the requests on his mayoral Facebook page.

“It’s difficult to land Portillo’s but our team is trying,” Kolowski said.

The mayor said in the social media conversation a lot of chains base their locations on population, which makes it difficult for the city of about 10,000 people. Peru, however, is trying to entice developers with statistics showing the city had more than $713 million in annual retail sales in a 12-month period in 2021-2022, serving as a retail hub of La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties and a population of more than 100,000. He said Monday attracting a Popeyes could cause other chains to follow.