Pizza, barbecue and an oddities shop: Our 10 most-read Rockford-area stories from the past month
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Our most-read story in December was our follow-up reporting on Capri Restaurant’s decision to move from downtown to Loves Park.
That story was also among the Top 3 most-read articles on RockRiverCurrent.com in 2023.
Other popular articles in December were about a local pitmaster’s plans to open his first restaurant in Roscoe, a new oddities shop in Rockford and the revamping of a bar and restaurant at North Towne in Rockford.
2023 year in review: Capri’s big move, new businesses and other stories that topped our most-read list
We track our metrics to see what type of stories you are interested in most, and throughout 2023 we’ve been sharing monthly Top 10 lists with you to help you catch up on any news you may have missed.
Here are the 10 most-read stories from December 2023:
Why did Capri decide to relocate to Loves Park?
The decision to relocate Capri Restaurant to Loves Park came after months of frustration for the family as it tried to rebuild downtown. But the choice was also a combination of economics and timing.
The restaurant’s move from its home for six decades at 313 E. State St. in Rockford came despite an effort from the city of Rockford to offer incentives worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This story, our most-read in December, broke down what the city offered and why Capri ultimately chose Loves Park.
More year in review: Rockford-area restaurant recap: 50 openings, closings and other shakeups to the food scene
New Rockford antique and oddities shop Scavenged Parts celebrates the weird and creepy
Scavenged Parts opened Dec. 7 at 1001 Charles St., which is tucked between the city’s downtown and Midtown districts on the south side of East State Street across from Uncle Nick’s.
The locally owned shop curates an uncommon collection of antiques and oddities as well as natural art created from mummification, animal bones and wet specimens encased in glass globes. It’s owned by Tim Prince and Sarah Thistle, who have spent years traveling to antiques and oddities shows across the country.
More news: 355 migrants arrive at Rockford airport from Texas, get escorted out-of-town by deputies
Barbecue food truck that drew crowds this summer set to open restaurant in Roscoe
Homegrown pitmaster Will Hendrickson debuted the Whiskey Hotel Barbecue food truck this summer.
Now, he’s preparing to open his first brick-and-mortar restaurant inside the former Sabor Bar & Grill, 5522 Elevator Road in Roscoe.
Whiskey Hotel Barbecue serves a variety of barbecue including Texas beef brisket, Kansas City brisket burnt ends, South Carolina pulled pork and bacon burnt ends.
Half Baked Bar infuses new life into North End Rockford restaurant space
Half Baked Bar, 908 W. Riverside Blvd., is a new concept centered on hemp-infused drinks and snacks that took over Stockyard Rock Burger Bar at the North Towne Mall.
Billy Ni, who ran Stockyard, partnered with Erik Carlson and John Murray of Buckbee Weed Co. for the new concept.
Kirkland’s at Forest Plaza to close in early 2024
Kirkland’s is slated to close its store at 6335 E. State St. at the end of January after more than a decade of business at Forest Plaza.
“Our Rockford store will close at the end of January after we were unable to reach a lease renewal agreement with the landlord,” the company said in a statement sent to the Rock River Current. “Customers can still shop Kirkland’s online at kirklands.com.”
Hard Rock prepares to hire 400 more employees
Hard Rock Casino is gearing up to hire 400 more employees in time to open its new casino in late August.
The casino already employs about 350 people at its A Hard Rock Opening Act location at 610 N. Bell School Road, and it plans to have a total 750 employees at the future site at East State Street and Interstate 90.
Head to the bottom of this link for details on job openings and applying.
Beef-a-Roo opens 5 locations around the country in six months
Rockford-based Beef-a-Roo opened five locations outside of Illinois in a six-month stretch of 2023. The company was founded in Rockford in 1967. It is now being franchised to new locations by Next Brands, a family-run business that focuses on the fast-service restaurant industry.
The five newest Beef-a-Roo locations are:
- 3312 E. Chestnut Expressway, Springfield, Missouri
- 1315 S. Shackleford, Little Rock, Arkansas
- 1111 U.S. Route 62, Harrison, Arkansas
- 9500 W. 135th St., Overland Park, Kansas
- 1360 W. State Road 32, Lebanon, Indiana
Vanakkam India craft kitchen opens in former Cucina di Rosa
Vanakkam India: Craft Indian Kitchen opened Dec. 18 inside the former Cucina di Rosa, 1620 N. Bell School Road.
Head chef and owner John Vinoth Kumar Rajan runs the restaurant with his business partner, Nu Nu. The cuisine is centered around food from Rajan’s home town of Tamil Nadu in south India.
Poke Green, new Hawaiian and Asian fusion restaurant, serves healthy bowls
Poke Green opened in early December at 3053 N. Perryville Road in a strip center near Woodman’s and Goodwill Industries.
The locally owned restaurant serves Hawaiian and Asian fusion cuisine centered around fish and veggie poke bowls. More menu options will be coming soon, including chicken and beef teriyaki.
Compiled by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
