Rockford’s First McAlister’s Deli to Debut in 2026

Stateline area residents will soon have a new go-to spot for lunch dates, family dinners, or just grabbing a cold sweet tea after a long day when McAlister's Deli opens its first location in Rockford off Perryville Road.

What Is McAlister's Deli?

As a big fan of sub sandwiches and loaded baked potatoes, McAlister's Deli sounds like a place I am really going to love.

Honestly, my mouth is watering just looking at this picture.

The first McAlister's Deli opened in Mississippi in 1989, and today they expanded to 500 restaurants in 29 different states.

McAlister's Deli is well known for serving up massive sandwiches, baked potatoes, and signature sweet teas, but its menu spreads far beyond that to salads, soups, desserts, and sides. Plus, they offer catering too!

McAlister's Deli currently has 39 locations throughout Illinois, and soon Rockford will make number 40.

McAlister's Deli Opening in Rockford

I think we can all agree that the land around the Meijer store on N Perryville Road in Rockford has been blossoming over the last handful of years, and soon McAlister's Deli will be opening a new location in that area too.

According to Mystateline.com:

First Midwest Group announced McAlister’s Deli will be moving into the Perryville Promenade shopping center in 2026.

The business will be built on a vacant site between Tesla Motors/Gloss Nail Bar and Jiffy Lube.

Here's a better look at where McAlister's Deli will be located and what it will look like:

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Hopefully McAlister's Deli will be finished and ready to open by this summer...I can taste the sweet tea already!