Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

Jefferson's Restaurant to open second location in metro-east

Patty and Jim Grindstaff plan to open another Jefferson's Restaurant in Mascoutah next spring.

The mother-and-son owners of the Jefferson's Restaurant at 6980 W. Main St. in Belleville plan to open a second location at 1300 W. Main St. in Mascoutah by March 1. The new site is the former home of Giovanni's Italian restaurant.

"We're really looking forward to this," Patty Grindstaff said. "We think it will be a good thing to be in Mascoutah."

Jefferson's is a southern-based franchise with roots in Alabama that is known for its chicken wings, burgers and oysters. The Belleville locale is one of seven locations throughout the country that include locales in Rome, Ga.; Brentwood, Tenn.; Lawrence, Kan.; Gadsden, Ala.; Jacksonville, Ala., and Albertville, Ala.

You can call the Belleville restaurant at 293-0071. ...

The Mail Box Store in Collinsville has moved to a new spot in town. Eliot Deters moved his store to the Keebler Krossing shopping center at 1099F Beltine Road and opened last week. Deters opened the first store in town and another at 333 W. Bethalto Drive in Bethalto almost two years ago. His business provides shipping, printing, copying and publishing. You can call the new store at 345-7225. For further information, go to www.themailboxstore.net. ...

Yet another new restaurant and bar has moved into a Granite City site that has been home to a succession of eateries. The latest to move into the building at 5240 Nameoki Road is Shakerz Bar & Grill. Owner and Granite City-native Lou Prazma had a soft opening last week and plans a grand opening for this Saturday.

He has a full menu for lunch, dinner and late-night meals served from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily. On Saturday, he will begin offering a steak special: two fillets, two salads and two appetizers for $20. Prazma, who has worked in the restaurant business for the past 13 years, is new to the building he occupies now that has been home to Tony's, then First Season, after that came Alexander's, followed by Charlie's, then Stacker's, then El Jalape(*150*)o Mexican Restaurant and most recently, Mickey's. You can call Shakerz Bar & Grill at 709-7103. ...

A new gun and ammunition store has opened in Waterloo. B&B Armory, located at 411 W. Third St., also provides gunsmithing and duracoating. Their number is 939-0335 or e-mail them at www.BBArmory@htc.net. ...

A Belleville thrift store that supports the Women's Crisis Center in the city has extended its hours on Saturday. Shelter Shop, located on the corner of North Belt West and West Street at 19 Bellevue Park Plaza, is now open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 234-4704 to find out more. ...

On Wednesday, in observance of Veteran's Day, Applebee's restaurants will provide free entrees for veterans and active-duty personnel in the Armed Forces. You can find Applebee's in Fairview Heights, Swansea, Shiloh, Collinsville, Glen Carbon, Granite City, Wood River and Waterloo. ...

Also on Wednesday, Maxwell's Restaurant at 10th and West Main streets in Belleville will be contributing 10 percent of its sales that day to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Call 277-4799 for more information or visit their Web site at www.maxwellsrestaurant.com. ...