Comings & Goings: Byrider reopens car store in Bridgeview

By Bob Bong

Indianapolis-based Byrider last week reopened its used car dealership in Bridgeview.

The store relocated to 9150 S. Harlem Ave. in 2014 from its original home in Oak Lawn. It was a franchised J.D. Byrider location and closed last year.

It reopened on Friday as the chain’s 32nd corporate-owned dealership under its new rebranded name, Byrider. The new brand was announced in June.

On hand for the grand opening were store manager Jason Taylor, Bridgeview trustees Patt Higginson and Mary Sutton. Tours of the facility were providedÊÊand lunch was sponsored by Bridgeview Auto Zone dealership.

The rebranding includes ongoing business model updates to reflect the company’s continued growth and commitment to customer service. The company is implementing strategic business changes to enhance the customer experience, including an improved website and an optimized purchase process to provide customers with a broader selection of quality cars.

The rebranding also includes a top-to-bottom redesign of the company’s name, website, logo and messaging. Byrider’s new brand assets include a simplified, blue and orange logo, along with a new website and video assets.

Craig Peters, chief executive officer at Byrider, said in a release, “Our team has developed new ways to build on Byrider’s 30-year heritage and leadership in the automotive industry, while making significant business changes that will help customers find a quality car and get back on the road quickly. We look forward to continuing to drive Byrider’s growth and move our customers forward.”

Royal Palace Banquets closed, parties cancelled

Royal Palace Banquets in Chicago Ridge closed without warning late last year, which left groups that had scheduled events and parties scrambling for replacement venues and trying to recover deposits and down payments.

The 11,000-square-foot banquet hall at 6254 W. 111th St. in Chicago Ridge opened in 1978 but was sold for $2 million in January 2008 to Blue Oceans Banquets owned by Zak Krzysztof, whose last known address was on Chicago’s North Side.

Byline Bank began mortgage foreclosure proceedings on Jan. 16, 2019, in the Chancery Division of the Cook County Circuit Court. The bank received a judgment of $1.3 million over the summer from Judge Edward Robles and listed the property for auction. No bidders were received and Krzysztof was ordered in November to vacate the property.

Right after that was when groups began showing up and found the banquet hall closed.

The banquet hall advertised it could handle groups from 30 to 275 people. It was a popular spot for funeral lunches being across the street from Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Local establishments including Jenny’s Steak House in Chicago Ridge and Nikos Banquets Bar and Grill in Bridgeview have agreed to host events that had to scramble after finding Royal Palace had closed.

One group from Lansing switched their annual fundraiser dinner to Nikos after they visited Royal Palace to make a payment and found it closed.

Taped messages on the front door indicate Christmas parties were cancelled because of the sudden closings.

One group said in a Facebook posting a party on Nov. 30 was switched to Jenny’s because of the closing. The group said they received a refund from their bank after filing a police report.

In January, Lily Pond C. Series LLC, a subsidiary of Byline Bank purchased the banquet hall. No price was given.

In January, the Secretary of State’s Office reported Blue Ocean Banquets was dissolved as a corporation in Illinois. On Feb. 14, the Secretary of State reported that Fennix Lounge Ltd., another corporation owned byÊKrzysztof, was dissolved in Illinois.

Chicago Ridge Mayor Chuck Tokar said Monday, “We had no notice that it was closing, but we have had two interested parties contact us regarding re-opening the business.”

ÊIf you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbo[email protected]. You can track business openings and closings atÊhttp://bobbongonbusiness.com/