Bank Branch Bulldozed to Make Way for Checkers at Archer and Narragansett

The rumors of a Checkers fast-food restaurant being built on the southwest corner of Archer

6401 West Archer

and Narragansett, first reported nearly a year ago by the Southwest Chicago Post and which were initially denied by a Checkers spokesman, are turning out to be true, as heavy equipment operators this week starting tearing down the long-shuttered MB Bank building.

In an interview with the Southwest Chicago Post, Jennifer Durham--Vice President of Franchise Development for Checkers and Rally's Restaurants--confirmed that construction will begin within weeks, just after demolition is complete. A new Checkers restaurant is expected to open at the site in August, she added.

6401 West Archer

Durham said that the company acquired the site as part of a "bang-up deal" and added that the new Checkers will meet "unmet consumer demand" in the area.

The new restaurant will be owned and operated by the company and not franchised, she noted.

It is expected to employ 20-30 people, most of whom will work part-time. She said that the company is committed to hiring locally, and that people interested in working at that location should apply online now at checkerscareers.com.

The new restaurant will focus on drive-through service and will not have an indoor dining area, although there may be limited outdoor seating under a canopy.

Durham said the Archer and Narragansett unit will look similar to the Checkers at 115th and

11449 South Halsted

Halsted.

Like most Checkers, the one at Archer and Narragansett will be open seven days and open late, most likely until 3 a.m. weekdays and 4 a.m. weekends. The goal, Durham said, is to be open at least an hour after competitors close, and that the restaurant may possibly operate 24/7 at some point.

Checkers is a restaurant chain headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The company also owns Rally's hamburger restaurants--about 800 restaurants in all. Some are company owned and operated; many are franchises.

In the greater Chicago area, there are nine, according to the Checkers website: three on the

South Side (55th and Wentworth, 87th and Stony Island, and 115th and Halsted), one on the West Side (at North and Kostner), two in the south suburbs (Dixmoor and South Holland), and three in Northwest Indiana (two in Gary and one in Hammond).

Long-time residents of Garfield Ridge recall that decades ago, the site was home to a Jack in the Box drive-thru restaurant.

Twenty-third Ward Alderman Michael R. Zalewski noted Checker's interest in Archer and Narragansett, moments after he said at a public meeting last October that desirable food establishments like Corner Bakery will not locate on Archer, because there are no suitable corner properties available.

# # #