Bandana's

 Bandana's has reopened with limited hours. Currently the hours are

Sunday – Thursday: 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Friday & Saturday: 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Bandana's

 According to their signage Bandana's is reopening in the near future. Aside from a food truck or so, I think that will be the only dedicated BBQ restaurant in town.

Bandana's

 According to their Facebook page, the Carbondale Bandana's will close on November 3rd. From what I have heard, the company tried to sell the restaurant a couple of years ago but no takers. Happily, for those who like BBQ, there is still plenty of it in the area.

Mo' Wallace Closed

Saw in the Daily Egyptian that Mo' Wallace BBQ closed last week due to declining sales. The move to the East Main location likely hurt the business since the comparatively isolated spot eliminated the potential for foot and walk by traffic, while car traffic was limited to those heading west on Main Street. Although Mo'Wallace' s was local, anyone wanting BBQ coming from the east side of down could easily drive to Murphysboro for nationally famous 17th Street or would pass by Bandana's, which offered much easier access than did Mo' Wallace

Another Bandana's Update

No idea why but according to some people who should know, Bandana's has pushed its opening back to January 28.  Though I probably will never eat there, I am glad to see another chain restaurant opening in downtown.  Why?

Chains go where money and customers are.  Unlike local businesses, who can open up with lower foot traffic and generally get lower rent, a chain store is a very expensive proposition to operate.  Chains generally do not put stores in locations where they have not done extensive market research first to determine if the customer base is large enough to support their operation.  Just like Tres Hombres or Stix or Dayshift, they are in the business to make money.  By locating in the downtown area, the company indicates it believes there is money to be made here.

Bandana's Update

According to what I have heard, planned opening date for the new Bandana's BBQ is Tuesday January 15.  Supposedly, stocks of food and beer both arrived this week.  However, if they have been actively hiring, the company has kept it pretty quiet.