A former Jacksonville businessman is shuffling locations of a popular restaurant in Springfield.
Jose Lopez, owner of Casa Real, vacated Casa Real from 3100 West White Oaks Drive in Springfield’s west end in May and sold the property.
According to the Springfield Business Journal, the property sold to Raising Cane’s, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in chicken fingers. Raising Cane’s currently has 21 other locations in Illinois with the closest location to Jacksonville being in Fairview Heights in the Metro East.
The building at the corner of Wabash Avenue and White Oaks Drive is being demolished to make way for a new structure that will have a double drive-thru, according to the Springfield Business Journal. A company spokesperson told SBJ that Raising Cane’s is targeting a December opening date.
Lopez told the SBJ is moving to the former location Quaker Steak & Lube located at 1121 West Lincolnshire Boulevard in Legacy Pointe behind Scheel’s. Lopez says he wanted to get away from the large number of restaurants already located in Springfield’s west end. Lopez told the SBJ that he hopes to have his new Springfield location open by the middle of next month.
No word has been given when the South Jacksonville location at the former site of Reichert’s Banquet Hall that’s currently been under construction for more than a year will open.