A local barbecue restaurant has been working hard to stay in business despite construction hampering access to their location.
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Russell’s Barbecue, located in Elmwood Park on the 1600 block of Thatcher Avenue, has been hard for drivers to get to due to construction that started in June 2014.
Since June, Thatcher between North Avenue and Fullerton Avenue was closed due to the construction.
The construction project included improvements to the street, new curbs and gutters along the road and lanes set aside for street parking. A flood retention wall was also built along a portion of the river that runs along Thatcher Avenue.
Rosey Calderon, assistant manager at Russell’s Barbecue, has worked at the restaurant for eight years and has seen the impact the construction has made on the business. Those trying to get to the restaurant had to improvise.
“A lot of people call to find their way to our restaurant,” she said.
Now that the Thatcher Avenue construction has been completed, drivers can access it from the north at Fullerton Avenue. It’s still hard to get to the restaurant, though: The North Avenue bridge near Thatcher is being repaired, keeping drivers from accessing the restaurant from North Avenue.
Calderon said they’ve had to cut staff to make up for the losses the business has taken due to the construction.
“During lunchtime it’s a little bit slow,” she said. “We’ve been cutting back on people and cutting back on their hours.”
Despite the construction and limited access, customers still make they effort to get to the restaurant. They either enter Thatcher Avenue from Fullerton or Bloomingdale avenues.
“We still have people who go all the way around to get here,” she said. “We still have a lot of regulars and people who still have parties here.”
Construction on North Avenue is scheduled to be finished in the summer.