A three-tenant building at North Second Street and West Lane Road will house Five Guys, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and another business in Machesney Park. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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MACHESNEY PARK — Developers say they’re targeting spring to complete a three-tenant building near the corner of Illinois 173 and Illinois 251 that will house Five Guys, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and a third business that has yet to be named.
The 5,800-square-foot structure, which is in front of the Old Navy at 1005 W. Lane Road, is being worked on through winter as weather allows. An opening date for the restaurants is not set.
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First Midwest Group, the developers behind the project, have not named the tenants. Machesney Park Village President Steve Johnson revealed that Five Guys and Tropical Smoothie Cafe were on the horizon during his State of the Parks speech in October, and now the structure where they’re headed has started to take shape.
Johnson says the additions are part of his goal to provide residents and visitors with a diverse selection of stores and restaurants to patronize.
“We’re very, very aggressive to try to attract new businesses,” Johnson said.
He gave credit to Village Administrator James Richter for his work marketing the village to potential businesses, which has helped land several businesses including other additions along Illinois 173 such as Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and Chick-Fil-A. He said First Midwest Group is also working to land another restaurant in the area near Old Navy.
“We’re out there marketing other sites, too,” Johnson said. “Hopefully we can tell you soon different things that are coming in.”
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Five Guys offers fresh, made-to-order burgers along with fries, shakes and other burger-joint staples. It has more than 1,700 locations around the world, including one in Rockford. The Rockford site will soon relocate to space along East State Street.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe features made-to-order smoothies, flatbreads, wraps and quesadillas. It also has plans to open a cafe along North Perryville Road in Rockford, according to its website.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.