Monday, Jun. 08, 2009

Rally's to close restaurants in Fairview, Edwardsville

Slow business has forced Rally's to close restaurants in Fairview Heights and Edwardsville.

A spokeswoman for the Tampa-based Rally's Hamburgers and Checker's Restaurants drive-through hamburger joints said that Rally's restaurants on North Illinois Street in Fairview Heights and Troy Road in Edwardsville were among those that were shuttered due to lack of business.

"They were underperforming," spokeswoman Kim Francis said. "However, Rally's plans to be in St. Louis for a long time."

Another Rally's on Caryle Avenue in Belleville closed more than a month ago.

Other Rally's restaurants have been forced to close across the Mississippi River at 6994 Chippewa Street in St. Louis, 9701 St. Charles Rock Road in St. Louis, 4400 S. Kingshighway Blvd. in St. Louis, 2182 N. Highway 67 in Florissant, Mo.; 1220 N. Truman Blvd. in Crystal City, Mo. and 8106 Manchester Road in Brentwood, Mo.

Francis said that employees who worked at the shuttered eateries have been offered jobs at other locales in the chain. ...

A new Italian restaurant is moving into the building Carlos O'Kelly's moved out of in Fairview Heights. Andrew and Misty Walter are the proprietors of the new dining spot, to be known as Little Italy, at 130 Ludwig Drive. Andrew Walter said his restaurant will be a family establishment that will feature a menu with "a taste of The Hill" with recipes from Little Italy in New York. Walter said he hopes to open his doors by June 23. Stay tuned. ...

Two-way wireless communications provider Wireless USA has merged its stores in Belleville and Bethalto into a new one in Collinsville. The St. Louis-based business is now open at 5415 Horseshoe Lake Road. The company provides two-way communication for state and local government entities and also has stores in Springfield and Quincy in Illinois, and Arnold, Maryland Heights, Union, Columbia and Jefferson City in Missouri.

Call the new Collinsville store at 344-7000. ...

The folks at Complete Computer Solutions in Belleville are offering a free seminar Wednesday to show computer owners proper computer maintenance and how to protect themselves from computer viruses and online identity theft. The seminar will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the store, 219 S. Illinois St. Space is limited to 25. Call 233-2219 to reserve your seat. ...

Two managers of metro-east McDonald's restaurants have been recognized among the region's best. Melissa Hart, of a McDonald's in Belleville, and Zach Gandy, of the Mascoutah McDonald's, have been selected to receive the 2008 Heartland Region's Outstanding Managers Award. The award is bestowed by McDonald's to its top 10 percent performing managers. ...

Eckert's Country Store is offering a Kid's Cooking Class at Eckert's 1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays through the end of the month. You can find the classroom at 951 S. Greenmount Road in Belleville. Admission is $15 per student. Call 233-0513 for more information. ...

On Friday, Raging Rivers WaterPark in Grafton will welcome 2,500 children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a free daylong excursion. According to the water park, the donation has an estimated value of more than $45,000. Call Raging Rivers at 786-2345. ...

And finally, Quality Installation and Home Improvement is celebrating its 25th anniversary by giving away windows, siding, glass block windows, gutter guards and more. The event will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the store, 1108 N. Belt West in Swansea. The rain date is June 20. Call 233-4603 for more information. ...

Contact reporter Will Buss at wbuss@bnd.com or 239-2526.