Blackberry's Becomes 2nd Egg & I in Tinley

CLARIFICATION (2:11 p.m. Wednesday, March 27): An earlier version of this story stated that dishes from Blackberry's Pancake House would be on the new Egg & I's menu. Although customers will be able to make special requests for those items, they will not officially be on the menu. The story has been changed to reflect that.

Although Blackberry's Pancake House has closed for good, that doesn't mean it's legacy won't live on with the new occupants of 9536 179th St.

Egg & I will use that address to open its second Tinley Park location, and the breakfast and lunch eatery will retain a few touches that made Blackberry's such a popular dining destination.

First, Egg & I will employ most of Blackberry's staff—both in the kitchen and out in the dining room—said Adam Bieranowski, the restaurant's general manager. Second, customers will be able to request some of the pancake house's dishes, but they will not be on Egg & I's menu, Bieranowski added.

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"The important thing about the [Blackberry's] staff is that they know the regulars," Bieranowski said. "We're confident that [Blackberry's regular customers] are going to like us."

Interestingly, Blackberry's didn't shut its doors because of any financial trouble. Owner Gerald Freaney wanted to focus his attention on Boston Blackies, his new restaurant in downtown Chicago, Bieranowski said. In fact, Freaney and his two partners want to open a second location in the city.

Freaney also lives in Elmhurst and wanted to spend more time closer to home, Bieranowski added.

Jim Garofalo, who owns the Egg & I in Chicago Heights (the other Tinley location is owned by Garofalo's brother, Jason), agreed to buy the restaurant from Freaney and assured him the staff would be able to work at the new restaurant, said Bieranowski, who is Garofalo's brother-in-law.

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This sale comes after a Colorado-based company that also runs restaurants named Egg & I brought in the Garofalo-owned locations as franchises, Bieranowski said. The plan is to open 15 more locally owned Egg & I franchises in the Chicago area, and the new Tinley Park location will be the first, he added.

The old Blackberry's location is currently being remodeled and redecorated, Bieranowski said. The target grand opening date is the week of April 8, he added.

"The decor is very warm and welcoming," Bieranowski said. "It's not a typical franchise restaurant. It's very family friendly, but it's not typical. … We still cater to our guests."

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Before that, Egg & I will hold an invitation-ony test run April 7, which also will be a fundraiser for the Jennifer S. Fallick Cancer Support Center in Homewood, Bieranowski said.

That's the egg & I motto, serving our friends daily," he said. "[New customers are] quickly gong to become our friends. We're not strangers, we're from around here."

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