Geography Error: Joliet's Bob Evans Near I-88 For Sale?

JOLIET, IL — It's one thing to make a typo, it happens. We all make them unfortunately, but a new real estate listing for the now-shuttered Bob Evans Family Restaurant in Joliet gives potential out of town buyers and investors the erroneous impression that the former restaurant property is along Interstate 88.

The commercial real estate listing on LoopNet makes this mistake not once, twice, but three times.

The I-88 mistake is listed once in the summary listing on the website for LoopNet and then two more times in the real estate brochure alerting potential buyers that the former Bob Evans is "located on Larkin Ave, I-88’s northbound offramp with direct visibility to 28,000 (vehicles per day)."

It appears the real estate agents trying to sell the Bob Evans are based in Chicago so it's possible they don't realize that Joliet is located along Interstate 80, not I-88.

"This 5,242 SF retail building was formerly a Bob Evans, and its connectivity to I-88 is ideal for hospitality and automotive users," their listing on LoopNet proclaims.

Gregory Bayer of the Mid-America Real Estate Corporation on Chicago's North Michigan Avenue is listed as the real estate agent trying to sell the Joliet Bob Evans at 1776 McDonough St.

The Mid-America listing does not include the asking price for the site.

In July, Joliet Patch broke the news that Bob Evans closed its Joliet restaurant after being shutdown for the previous few months following Gov. JB Pritzker's order prohibiting indoor dining at all Illinois bars and restaurants. That same order remains in effect again, but this time a number of Joliet area restaurants and mostly notably bars are ignoring the governor and choosing to stay open and serve indoor guests anyway.

At 1 p.m. this Sunday, a peaceful rally will be held in Joliet and Shorewood in which patrons of several bars will walk several miles as part of a peaceful rally.

"I just feel like enough is enough," Chrissy Laage, one of the event organizers, told Joliet Patch. "I want to make sure our voices are heard. Too many people are struggling. People need the right to go to work every day to support their families. And if they choose to stay home that's OK too. But we need to be able to make that choice without repercussions."