Gone: Joliet Restaurant Torn Down Over Weekend, Here's Why

JOLIET —An empty Joliet restaurant property on Larkin Avenue that was an attraction to the area's homeless population is no longer standing. Over the weekend, working in swift fashion, demolition contractors tore down the empty Steak 'N Shake at 201 S. Larkin Ave.

Last August, the Joliet City Council approved a drive-thru permit for a new Chick-fil-A location. It would become the city's second Chick-fil-A restaurant. Chick-fil-A informed Joliet officials last summer that they would demolish the existing Steak 'n Shake building on Larkin Avenue and redevelop the site with a new, 5,000-square-foot freestanding restaurant and dual drive-thru lanes, plus an outdoor seating area and parking lot.

The chain, known for its chicken sandwiches, would replace the Larkin Avenue Steak 'n Shake restaurant, which closed for the third time after last reopening in 2022. That location had closed in 2019 before reopening in early 2021, only to close again. It reopened again in August 2022 as a drive-thru and curbside pickup only location, but that also didn't last.

The first Joliet Chick-fil-A opened in January 2021 after the former Lone Star restaurant at the site was bulldozed. It also has a restaurant and a double drive-thru.