Long John Silver's Still Stands: Will Redevelopment Happen In 2025?

JOLIET —It has been three-and-a-half long years since Joliet's one and only Long John Silver's restaurant —at the corner Barney Drive and West Jefferson Street — closed for good.

"Thank you for your business ... Location Closed," reads the sign still taped to the front door of the Long John Silver's.

And while Joliet's West Jefferson Street has witnessed several noteworthy redevelopment projects these past few years, the old Long John Silver building has not been one of them.

Two years have passed since Joliet's City Council approved redeveloped plans for the empty Long John Silver. A new coffeehouse called the 7 Brew drive-thru announced plans to tear down the old Long John Silver's and build its drive-thru shop on the property.

While the 7 Brew redevelopment project remained at a standstill, Joliet has continued to add more and more Dunkin' and Starbucks. Last year, Starbucks acquired the empty Bakers Square restaurant on West Jefferson Street and tore the building down. Construction of the new Starbucks moved quickly over the winter, and it looks like the new Starbucks will open this spring.

This week, Joliet Patch reached out to city of Joliet officials to find out the status of the 7 Brew coffee shop.

City of Joliet leaders maintain that the redevelopment will still happen.

“Very much a live project," responded Dustin Anderson, Joliet's director of community development.

Anderson said that 7 Brew submitted permits late last month "and we have provided them with some comments on necessary revisions. They are reviewing those now and we look forward to working with them.”

Meanwhile, West Jefferson Street remains in a state of transition as some empty properties are being redeveloped and other properties are turning up vacant.

The Sub Dock restaurant closed and became El Primo #3.

Last year, NAPA Auto Parts remodeled and relocated into the empty strip mall next to the future Starbucks and now the old NAPA store next to the Walgreens on Hammes Avenue has a for-lease sign on the property.

The Tony's Place restaurant in the small strip mall across from the Marycrest Shopping Plaza went out of business at the end of last year and there is a now a for rent sign in the window.

However, the empty China Buffet restaurant next to the Rax Roast Beef is now in the midst of an interior remodeling and later this spring, or summer, the building will reopen as a Good Fellas Cigar Lounge.