Lion’s Choice, the St. Louis-based quick-service family of restaurants, announced it would open a new restaurant in O’Fallon, Illinois. Located at 450 Regency Park Drive, the new restaurant will be Lion’s Choice’s sole Illinois location when it opens later this summer.

“Both at our restaurants and through social media, our customers have told us they would like to see Lion’s Choice expand into Illinois,” says Mike Kupstas, CEO of Lion’s Choice. “After a long absence from the metro east, we are thrilled to be back in this thriving location!”

The new Lion’s Choice restaurant will share a reception area with Reliance Bank – a unique format designed to enhance customer options and convenience. Kupstas cited this unique partnership, as well as the location’s high visibility and access to robust vehicle traffic, as key factors in the decision to select the location.

“We’re excited to cross the Mississippi River and bring our ridiculously good roast beef sandwiches to folks in Illinois—and specifically to O’Fallon,” adds Kupstas. “We feel we have found the perfect location to allow us to successfully expand our footprint into Illinois. We look forward to sharing space with Reliance Bank and to providing a tasty dining option to the folks in, or driving through, town.”  

Figures from the State of Illinois estimate a visitor count of more than 400,000 people per year to the area, combined with more than 75,000 cars per day traveling along nearby I-64.

“We’re excited to welcome Lion’s Choice to O’Fallon, and we can’t wait to once again offer local customers a unique experience that combines convenient banking services with a fantastic dining option,” says Tom Brouster, CEO and Chairman of Reliance Bank. “The addition of Lion’s Choice will restore Reliance Bank’s vision for a combined customer offering in O’Fallon and we’re thrilled to have them as neighbors.”