TP_041119

22 | April 11, 2019 | the tinley Junction DINING OUT
tinleyjunction.com
The Dish
Blissful Banana ‘not just a regular coffee shop’
New owner looks
to highlight dinner
options
Max Lapthorne
Contributing Editor
Blissful Banana Cafe
in Orland Park is about
more than breakfast food
and coffee, and new owner
Nick Baffes wants to make
that known.
Baffes, a lifelong Orland
Park resident who grew
up in a “restaurant family,”
recently took over
operations of the Orland
eatery and has a clear vision
in mind. He wants
to keep Blissful Banana
headed in the same direction
while highlighting its
ONLY 3 LEFT!
Phone: 630-323-7600
full complement of dinner
and drink options.
“Dinner options is what
we’re really going to focus
on,” Baffes said. “Because
the other menus, breakfast
and lunch, [are] pretty stable.
Our focus is going to
be on increasing the dinner
crowd by bringing in different
wines, bringing in
different menu options,
and then just creating that
dinner atmosphere.”
Before becoming the
owner, Baffes was a frequent
customer at Blissful
Banana. He visited as
much as possible to enjoy
the chicken salad sandwich
with sweet potato
hash.
“That was my go-to every
time,” he said.
Health is at the core
of what Blissful Banana
does, with the restaurant’s
mission statement —
which is displayed prominently
at the center of the
menus behind the counter
— saying in part, “We
strive to bring you the
same quality that we insist
upon in our own homes ...
We make it easy for you
to make healthful choices
while dining out.” This is
reflected in the plentiful
vegan and gluten-free options
offered.
While the name of the
restaurant leads some to
believe Blissful Banana
is all about sweet treats, a
glance at its menu proves
otherwise. House specials
include spaghetti
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squash ($11.95), the
Blissful Burger ($11.95),
and chicken and veggies
($12.95), in addition to
a number of salads and
sandwiches.
There also are several
specials for patrons
to choose from, including
vegan acorn squash
($13.95) which features
roasted acorn squash
topped with Spanish rice
and soy chorizo, along
with a side. Those looking
for a starter on the specials
menu can choose the mac
attack potatoes ($11). That
features potatoes topped
with coleslaw, special
sauce, ground beef, pickles
and cheddar cheese.
In an effort to further
promote the restaurant’s
dinner offerings, Baffes
plans to make some additions
to the menu. Potential
new items include a pork
chop dinner served with
mashed potatoes, linguine
with bolognese sauce and
ricotta cheese, as well as
pork shish kebabs served
over pita bread with onions,
peppers and tzatziki
sauce.
The plan to further highlight
Blissful Banana’s
dinner offerings goes beyond
food. The restaurant
already offers a full bar,
but Baffes will be looking
to enhance the wine offerings
in an attempt to draw
in more dinner customers.
A beverage that has already
established itself on
the menu is the Gorilla
Coffee ($5.25), which is
an iced coffee blended
with frozen banana and
mocha. The Gorilla Coffee
is the number one seller at
Blissful Banana, but other
popular breakfast offerings
are the breakfast tacos
($12.95) and Cuban Benny
Blissful Banana Cafe chef Tony Dezutter hand rolls
ravioli. Photos by Max Lapthorne/22nd Century Media
The Gorilla Coffee ($5.25),
featuring iced coffee
blended with frozen
banana and mocha, is a
long-standing favorite at
Blissful Banana Cafe.
Blissful Banana Cafe
15447 S. 94th Ave. in
Orland Park
Hours
• 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sundays
• 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Mondays
• 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Tuesdays-Thursdays
• 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Fridays-Saturdays
For more information
Web: www.
blissfulbanana.com
Phone: (708) 349-
9600
($13.95).
One thing Baffes does
not want to change is the
customer service provided
at the restaurant. Growing
up in a family of restaurateurs
and having previously
owned a restaurant
in Bolingbrook, Baffes
knows quality customer
service when he sees it,
and he sees the longevity
of Blissful Banana as
proof of it.
“As far as service and
everything like that, this
place has been here seven
years, so customer service
is obviously very important
here,” he said. “We
want to make sure all the
customers are happy.”
Blissful Banana offers
delivery via Grubhub and
Uber Eats, has a party
room that can hold up to
60 people and caters. As
Baffes looks to maintain
what has made Blissful
Banana Cafe successful
while putting his own
touch on it, everything will
be done with the customer
in mind.
“To me, there is no restaurant
if you don’t have
[customers], so customers
are No. 1,” Baffes said.