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A rendering of the potential appearance of The Linc in downtown Valparaiso is shown.
A new multiuse development will replace Round the Clock in Valpo.
Carmel-based developer Hageman Group is working to finalize the design for the new Linc development in downtown Valparaiso that will replace the Round the Clock restaurant that closed Sunday after 43 years.
Round the Clock sold the property to the private real estate investor, which is looking to build 121 apartments with ground-level retail and restaurants along Lincolnway.
Demolition of the Round the Clock building will likely begin in August or September.
The developer plans to invest $27.5 million in the project, Valparaiso Director of Development George Douglas said. The city initially announced it would be a $37 million project but that estimate includes a parking garage the city will build in conjunction with it, the actual final cost of which is not yet known.
"At this point, the developer's design team is finalizing the overall building design," Douglas said. "What we are doing as a redevelopment commission is working with a design consultant for the parking garage for the project."
The new development will help pay for the partly-public parking garage, which would likely have four to four-and-a-half decks and be partly subterranean. It will likely end up with 320 to 360 spaces.
"The biggest thing is for the consultants on The Linc to coordinate with the design of the parking garage to have synergies," Douglas said. "We ultimately want the design of the parking garage to fit in with the historic downtown."
The top decks of the parking garage would be reserved for Linc residents, and Hageman Group will pay for the maintenance and operation of those spaces, Douglas said. The lower decks would have free public parking where people would be able to park for about two hours.
"In a big city, they can charge for parking garages," he said. "In our case, it's more to promote the use of public parking downtown."
The final cost of the parking garage is not known because no final decisions have been made regarding the size, number of spaces, facade or other features, Douglas said.
The biggest design issue that's being worked out is the 13-foot difference in elevation between Michigan Avenue and Morgan Boulevard as the property slopes significantly.
Jill Rosenbaum worked there 20 years, Manual Chavez 36 years and Sandy Karch 42 years.
Vui Van Tran put in 43 years of service at the Round the Clock diner that's been serving hearty comfort food in downtown Valparaiso since the 1970s. Many customers have been coming there that long.
"The end is near!" a banner of the door honoring longtime employees reads. "We will miss you all."
The Round the Clock at 217 E. Lincolnway closes for good at the end of the day Sunday.
The diner has served turkey clubs, lake perch, shepherd's pie, meatloaf, steak, Greek pork chops, Greek half chickens and pastitsio to generations in Valpo. Families have gathered there after church, seniors for lunch and college students for late-night meals.
It's the type of old school diner where one slides into the booth and looks over a sprawling menu of homey favorites that longtime customers come to know by heart. The specials change daily, lemon rice soup is always on the menu and the pot of drip coffee keeps flowing.
Maybe you order the patty melt, an open-faced turkey sandwich or the liver and onions. The sides include a vegetable of the day.
The staff is friendly. The environs are cozy and familiar. The paper placemats are covered with little square ads for local businesses.
Even if you've never been there, you've been there.
The restaurant, known especially for its four-egg omelets and other breakfast fare, is being razed to make way for The Linc, a $19.5 million mixed-used development that will bring three four-story buildings with 121 apartments, ground-level retail and a 300-space parking garage downtown.
Round the Clock, part of a beloved local chain that got its start in Gary in the 1960s, is directing diners to the Chesterton location. The owners say they have no immediate plans to find a new spot in Valparaiso but will keep their eyes out for a new location.
Other Round the Clock restaurants operate under different ownership in Schererville, Highland, Knox and Plymouth.
Den Asian Bistro plans to bring authentic Asian cuisine to Dyer.
The fusion restaurant will serve Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Korean cuisine to 275 Joliet St. Think sushi, ramen, wok and hibachi that's cooked right at the table.
Owner Kevin Gao is opening the new pan Asian restaurant in the former Bin 27 Grille space in the Galleria building off U.S. 30 in Dyer in early June.
It will serve dishes like sushi rolls, nigiri, sashimi, udon, Pad Thai, Kung Pao Shrimp, Szechwan Beef with Peanuts and Korean Shin Ramen. It has a three-way liquor license that will allow it to serve Japanese whiskeys, Saki-based cocktails like Sakitinis and imported beer from Japan, China, Korea and Thailand, as well as a selection of domestic beers.
It will have a sushi bar with a full sushi menu and a bar bar with libations. One spicy sushi roll will combine the two by coming with a shot of saki to cool off one's palate.
The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will seat about 60 and another eight or so on an outdoor patio.
"Outdoor dining is very important since the pandemic," Gao said.
It will employ about 10 to 12 people initially.
"It will be fine dining at a family restaurant without high-end prices," he said. "It will be like a Japanese restaurant with a Chinese, fusion and a mix of other cuisines. There will be modern Japanese and Chinese decorations."
He's interested in potentially opening more locations across Northwest Indiana, including maybe in Hobart and Highland.
"The market in Dyer is great. It's along the border so it can draw people from both Indiana and Illinois," he said. "It's on U.S. 30 and there's a parking lot in the back."
Den Asian Bistro will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.
For more information, visit denasianbistro.com or find the business on Facebook.
Lean Kitchen will soon bring healthy fare to Schererville.
Adriana and Justin Skains and Eric and Christy Miller are bringing the first Lean Kitchen franchise to Schererville.
"We are a healthy fast food franchise new to the area. All our meals are fresh and never frozen," Adriana Skains said. "All of our ingredients and nutrition information is listed on all of our meals. We have partnered with many local gyms in the area to offer healthy delicious meals to the Northwest Indiana Indiana region."
The restaurant plans to open in a few weeks at 730 West Lincoln Hwy. in Schererville. It's taking over the former Kowloon space next to Dollar General on Cline Commons on U.S. 30.
"We know that the hardest part of a healthy lifestyle is diet. Along with meals, we’ll have a variety of nutrition supplements to help our customers reach all of their goals," she said. "We’re excited to bring this new franchise to the Region."
It will have about 25 to 30 different meal options at any given time, including plant-based options. People can pre-order online or pick up meals in the coolers in the restaurant and take them home or heat them up there if they wish to dine in.
Meal options will include wraps, teriyaki and rice, backyard burgers, salads and stuffed peppers. It will have a lot of different varieties of chicken or seafood with rice, as well as protein muffins, protein donuts and protein powders. It will focus on grab-and-go and people can call in orders ahead of picking them up.
"We'll cook everything in-house," Eric Skains said. "It's a meal prep concept where the meals on basically proportioned. All the nutritional information is on our labels: calories, fat, carbs and allergies. We'll have some gluten-free items, low-carb items a variety of items."
The Missouri-based chain caters to people with a variety of health and fitness goals.
"Some people want to lose weight. Others want to gain weight and build muscle," he said. "If they're new to it we can sit down with them and tell them what they should be eating."
The Skains looked at several different healthy fast food franchise options before deciding that Lean Kitchen was the best-tasting one.
"We had a chance to meet with several of the franchises and the taste of the flood just blew us away," he said. "We went to the headquarters in St. Joseph, Missouri, about an hour north of Kansas City. The food was phenomenal. There's nothing fried, no heavy grease, no open flames."
The former Kowloon space was bigger than what they needed but they liked the location.
"We live in Schererville and are pretty active in Schererville and wanted to stay in the Schererville," he said. "It's visible and easy to get to at the main crossing of Cline Avenue and U.S. 30. There are gyms across the street."
It's a 4,000-square-foot restaurant with about fix or six tables and more outdoor seating planned. It now has eight employees and is still hiring a few more part-time workers.
The owners hope to open more locations in Northwest Indiana in the future.
"We're planning to expand with Schererville being the main hub with a commercial kitchen," he said. "The others would be retail-only sites with meals and supplements. The next location would be Valparaiso hopefully. We'd like to open four to five in Northwest Indiana."
They plan to partner with gyms like F45 and race promoters like Hometown Happenings to reach an audience of fitness and health enthusiasts.
"Anyone who's into tasty, healthy food that convenient should give us a try," she said. "We basically do people's meal prepping for them. Some people cook big batches so they can eat healthy stuff every day, but chicken, rice and broccoli gets old and boring. We do that for you and offer a lot more variety."
The restaurant expects to open on May 16 and take preorders on May 9.
Lean Kitchen will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from noon until 4 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call 219-227-8477, visit leankitchenco.com/Schererville or find the business on Facebook or Instagram.
Sugaring NYC Organic Waxing & Lash Studio plans to open in Schererville, where it leased 1,357 square feet at 717B Main Street.
The business offers 40 different waxing treatments. It uses all-organic ingredients like lemon juice, water and sugar.
“This is a perfect co-tenant for the center. With their being a salon and nail store on both sides, this center is a one-stop shop for all beauty needs” said Myles Rapchak of Latitude Commercial who represented the landlord. “Alberts brings the ideal clientele for Sugaring, so it really is a win-win for both the landlord and tenant. We are very excited to have them long-term in the center.”
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Rocket Fizz, Code Ninjas, jerk restaurant, Esporta Fitness opening; Round the Clock closed
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Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military.
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"People come here it feels like their second home. They're comfortable here. There aren't places like this anymore.
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A rendering of the potential appearance of The Linc in downtown Valparaiso is shown.
A new multiuse development will replace Round the Clock in Valpo.
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