What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Is the universe just a random assemblage of chaos, chance and coincidence? Can you make it into a waffle?
Will It Waffle answers at least one of those questions.
The longtime food truck specializing in waffle sticks, waffle dogs and other waffle creations like a waffle grilled cheese did a soft opening of its new brick-and-mortar location at 150 W. Joliet St. in downtown Crown Point and will celebrate a grand opening on April 12. It's a prime spot across from Bulldog Park by the Old Lake County Courthouse square.
Owner Ashourrina Auz is opening the 500-square-foot restaurant that will focus on carryout, though it will have a bar top seating six people. She's hoping to draw business from the square, the ice rink and the many concerts, car cruises and other events at Bulldog Park.
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Will It Waffle, inspired by a food truck Auz saw on vacation, had mostly been doing pop-ups and catering around Northwest Indiana.
"Oh my gosh, renting the space makes a huge difference," she said. "We were limited working out of a tent where we had two waffle machines. With brick-and-mortar, we have a lot of different machines and can really make whatever we want. The goal is to rotate more fun waffle things, like croissants and omelets."
Will It Waffle offers waffles, loaded waffles with chocolate and peanut butter and waffle versions of hot dogs, breakfast sausages, avocado toast and Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Its novel creations have built up a following at farmers markets in St. John, Crown Point and across the Region.
"Our waffle sticks are basically like corn dogs," she said. "We'll have waffle sandwiches, breakfasts, deserts, breakfast burritos, parfaits, coffee, waffle cones and cups as well as a wide variety of unique waffle items like a Reuben."
It's a product that sells itself at farmers markets.
"We focus on what's easy to eat on-the-go like waffle cones," she said. "People ask where they got that and get pointed in the direction of our booth. It's so unique people say they've never seen anything like that. Even if you don't like waffles wait until it hits your taste buds."
Customers will be able to build their own waffles with toppings like chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, M&Ms and sprinkles at the new brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Will It Waffle will offer rotating specials, sometimes based on votes from customers on social media. She frequently experiments, like with different batters including cake and cornbread.
"I'll get to test out more new things now that we have more kitchen space," she said. "I try a lot of new things and there aren't too many fails. But we've got to limit the menu. We can't have 50 things we can't manage."
At the new location, it will offer waffle sandwiches and pizzas with kettle chips to offer people meal options for lunch and dinner. It will have waffle dogs, including with maple syrup and bacon and nacho cheese and bacon. It's looking to add more toppings to the waffle dogs like Flaming Hot Cheetos, as well as new offerings like waffle-shaped French toast.
"I'm thinking of ideas all the time," she said. "I carry a notepad and write down the ideas so I can test them out later."
Will It Waffle will be open 6:30-11 a.m. and 2-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, call 219-329-6323 or visit willitwafflenwi.com.
Opening soon
Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's have long catered to mall goers craving a sweet or salty snack.
But malls aren't what they used to be, and Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's are looking to venture out on their own.
Northwest Indiana's first hybrid Cinnabon/Auntie Anne's will open at 862 N. Superior St. in Crown Point on Wednesday. Franchisees Joe and Tracy Glusak, a husband-and-wife team, are looking to open more locations in Valparaiso, Schererville and Michigan City, where they're looking at the Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets mall.
Their company, Twin Flames Hospitality, Inc., will open one of the country's first joint Cinnabon/Auntie Anne's by the Aldi supermarket in the booming Broadway corridor by the Beacon Hill development in Crown Point. It will be located in a strip mall along with Orangetheory Fitness and will have a drive-up window where people can pick up food they ordered online or on their phones.
The 1,600-square foot combination Cinnabon/Auntie Anne's restaurant will employ 20 to 24 workers. It will offer delivery through Uber Eats, DoorDash and other services. It will focus on carryout, to-go orders and delivery but will have a few countertops for dining in.
The lifelong Northwest Indiana residents wanted to open a Cinnabon because they were fans of its cinnamon buns.
"It has such a unique taste and freshness," she said. "You can't buy it at the grocery store. It's a high quality that uses a special cinnamon that's really intense and spicy. They're make fresh at the bakery every day. We also rotate our pretzels every 15 to 20 minutes."
The menu will include cinnamon buns, cookies, pretzels, pretzel bites, pretzel dogs, churros, donuts and drinks like lemonade, Chillattas, Coolattas and iced coffee.
"Cinnabon got popular at malls and airports because of the quality," he said. "They're baked fresh on site and baked fresh all day long. You get it hot and can take them home and refresh them and they're just as good. Our pretzels are also amazing. They're made fresh every day and cooked to perfection. We'll have something for everyone."
The restaurant will offer catering, including for businesses, family gatherings and holidays like Easter. The Glusaks plan to have fundraisers for schools and churches.
"We like Crown Point. We dine and eat there all the time," he said. "We like the growth and how beautiful and well managed the city is. People in Crown Point shop in Crown Point. They're loyal and support local businesses."
Sweet shops like Crumbl Cookies and Twisted Sugar have been booming, opening all across the Region recently.
"People are just treating themselves," she said. "They deserve a sweet treat. They're working hard. and they're indulging themselves."
Cinnabon/Auntie Anne's will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call 219-213-2219 when it opens.
Coming soon
Southerners do many foods very well like fried chicken, downhome barbecue, shrimp and grits, plain old grits and sweet tea that somehow contains more sugar than water.
The south's culinary strengths include peaches and cobbler.
They're paired at the Peach Cobbler Factory, a Nashville-based chain that is now targeting a spring opening at 610 81st Ave. in Merrillville. The restaurant with the slogan "Stay peachy, Merrillville" will be located in the same building as Global Wireless next to Pep Boys just off U.S. 30.
It's right across from the Meijer and owned by local franchisees Cornelius and Cheri Henderson.
Peach Cobbler Factory serves serves 12 different cobbler flavors, all of which can be topped with ice cream. The menu also includes banana pudding, cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies, Churro Stix, Pudd-N Shakes, Belgian waffles, sweet tea, cold brew coffee, milk and bottled water.
Contractors have been installing the electrical system and signage and will start hanging drywall soon. Peach Cobbler Factory plans to start hiring in Merrillville in the next few weeks.
For more information, visit peachccobblerfactory.com.
Open
The Brooks Family Corned Beef sandwich shop is bringing and slow-cooking its own corned beef in Michigan City.
Kara and Lamont Brooks opened the restaurant at 301 U.S. 20 in Michigan City.
"What inspired us to open the restaurant is driving around to numerous restaurants and not being able to find a corned beef sandwich that was cut off the brisket," Lamont Brooks said. "We started brainstorming and decided we'd sell our own corned beef and see how that goes. We started taking orders and got a good response to decided to open our own establishment."
Brooks Family Corned Beef focuses mainly on corned beef or Reuben sandwiches, or eggroll versions thereof. The sandwiches come with a choice of rye bread or marbled rye bread with a pickle and chips on the side.
"We got you," she said. "We let the product speak for itself."
Brooks Family Corned Beef cures brisket in brine for seven to 10 hours to make its corned beef. It then slow-roasts it for eight to 10 hours.
"The flavor of the corned beef is in the technique and the cooking," he said. "The brining is similar to smoking but it's straight salt."
The 1,100-square-foot restaurant is takeout only. Laser-focused on corned beef, it also offers sides like French fries and cheesy fries.
While it specializes in sandwiches, it offered corned beef dinner plates for St. Patrick's Day.
"We've gotten nothing but positive feedback," he said. "It's a great experience. You'll leave happy."
For more information, call 219-243-7903 or find the business on Facebook.
Coming soon
Biggby Coffee continues to expand across the Region.
The Michigan-based chain plans to build a drive-thru coffee-shop at the corner of Sunrise Avenue and Willow Creek Road in Portage.
The project passed the Plan Commission last month and should start construction soon, Mayor Austin Bonta said.
"I'm an avid Biggby fan," he said. "My wife and I have a tradition where we stop by the Biggby in Chesterton after church. It will be nice to enjoy it closer to home."
Founded in in 1995 East Lansing, a college town that's home to Michigan State University, Biggby Coffee offers a full range of coffee, espresso and tea drinks, as well as a light breakfast menu focused largely on breakfast bagel sandwich it dubbed bragels.
The chain has grown to more than 370 locations, including in Chesterton, Highland, St. John and Cedar Lake.
Open
Vallee BBQ has rolled into 313 Taproom in Munster.
The restaurant offering "BBQ born in the 219" will sell barbecue from noon until it sells out every Saturday and Sunday at the craft beer taproom at 313 Ridge Road.
The menu includes pork belly rangoon, crispy fried wontons filled with smoked pork belly, cream cheese, and scallions, a brisket sandwich, ribs, St. Louis-cut spare ribs, pizza al pastor, brisket pizza and chopped smoked brisket with pickled red onion and peppercorn dill pickles on a toasted potato roll.
For more information, visit www.valleebbq.com.