Local restaurateur Jim Garofalo III faced a dilemma.
His popular Homewood restaurant Grady’s Grille wasn’t performing to his liking and had two options: kick business into high gear or start from scratch. He ultimately decided to rebrand completely as Grady’s Snack N Dine, turning an upscale lunch and dinner spot into a breakfast, lunch and dinner retro diner where almost any entree is $10 or less, he said.
The restaurant, at 18147 Harwood Ave., reopened March 22, and business is good, Garofalo said.
“It turned out to be everything we hoped it would be,” he said.
Grady’s Snack N Dine features a 1970s and ’80s retro aesthetic, homemade dishes and desserts, craft beers and chemical-free coffee. The diverse menu has Americana diner classics, like biscuits and gravy to ritzier options like fried Brussels sprouts or a salmon platter with a bagel. He said the diner strives for a homey, energetic atmosphere.
To prepare for the transition, Garofalo visited Chicago restaurants like Little Goat, Dove’s Luncheonette, Goddess and the Baker, and Goddess and the Grocer.
Garofalo is a longtime restaurant owner who has spent a lifetime in the business.
“My father always had a restaurant, and I grew up cooking in the kitchen,” he said.
His first restaurant was an Egg & I purchased from his father, Jim Garofalo Jr., in 1996 and sold last year. He still owns one Egg & I franchise at 9536 179th St., Tinley Park.
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