Fast food places you're suprised isn't in the Loop

I'm really suprised that Portillo's isn't IN the loop. I really think that a loop location would do a LOT better than the River North location.

Others?

White Castle. I would think a Loop location would do bang up business.

The fact is most chains have a model for how they want their operations to be-- and it's usually suburban, free-standing and with parking, predicated on lots of land at a relatively cheap price per square foot.

The Loop offers them a funky little space inside an existing building with no parking or drive through, no night-time business to speak of, and a very high cost per square foot.

Now, is there a way to make money there anyway? Sure, obviously lots of chains have adapted (McD), others exist mainly to serve that kind of market situation (Cosi). But for a White Castle, the effort involved in changing their operation to fit the Loop probably isn't worth it when they can put the same effort into opening ten cookie cutter stores on mall land. For Portillo's, whose concept seems to be based on a big freestanding space with retro atmosphere, Loop real estate clearly doesn't mesh with the concept.

While I agree with your opinion, I have to point you to Potbelly's -- they are doing bang up business in the loop and they're adapting well in the strip mall atmosphere as well.

I almost want to go to Portillo's Board of Directors and make a business proposal to open a restuarant.

i've been craving a panera for awhile, but they like those suburban w/parking options. however, they do have the location on clyborn which i tend to frequent on the weekends...

miss ellen

There is a Panera (Pantera as my gf puts it) on Diversey as well. That's another chain that I think can adapt well in the city or suburbs.

Add Oberweis to the list, but I think it would do better with a Michigan Ave location -- maybe near the Nordstorms mall.

I'm not sure that no Portillo in the Loop means no fast food places in the Loop. Wander around and you will find plenty of fast food options, mostly national chains. Wendy's, Popeyes, Burger King (well gone), Arby's, McDonalds (mentioned above), Subway, they're all there. And there are plenty of local fast food options: Fontano subs, the Works, Max's, Gold Coast Hot Dogs. Hell, go to the State of Illinois Building or Union Station. If I wanted to (I don't), I could list a lot more fast food places in the Loop.

Now, I DO think it is interesting, as I have commented before, that there is so few archtypical Chicago hot dog stands in the loop. I've offered that it is because Chicago is not quite the hot dog lovin' town as it used to be.

Rob

I am going to take some heat for this but the Loop would NOT be my first choice for a place to locate a restaurant for several reasons.

1) **HIGH OVERHEAD**
2) Limited night time traffic once you get away from the Theatre District and the vacinity of the hotels.
3) Ditto on weekend traffic.
4) Also, if you look at the lunch crowd, it is one of the weirdest that I have seen. In most cities, the lunch rush seems to run from 11-1 pm at a pretty steady rate. I have noticed the 10-15 times that I have been at various Loop restaurants, there is not much traffic from 11-11:45. Then the places get clobbered until 1 pm.

I have to agree with both Rob and jlawrence above: 1) there are quite a few representatives of the national chains in the Loop OR just around it; 2) there are some particular disincentives to doing such food business in the Loop itself which probably keep the overall number of places down.

Now, lest anyone think I'm getting soft in my old age and too agreeable, I've been at a loss to understand why anyone might even for a moment lament the perceived lack or insufficiency of concatenated canteens in the Loop or any other part of this (or any other) planet.

Back to Rob's point, let me call attention to the fact that there is a considerable concentration of lower end (chain and otherwise) eateries clustered around the heart of Loop, especially on the western and southern/southwestern periphery; the Van Buren/Clark zone is especially densely sown with seedy places, amongst which have also flourished a few better and even good little places. Chains are present there too in depressing profusion, from MacD to Qdobo to Subbelly and Potway and so on. But there too is a dearth of proper hot dog stands of a traditional ilk.

***

One day, not all that long ago, I was out and about in the Loop on errands for the day and decided to lunch in the crumbiest looking independent joint I came across. I forget the name of the place I ended up in, on Jackson or Monroe perhaps, twixt State and Wabash, a real greasy looking dive. Well, I got a gyros and fries and it was cheap and pretty good. Far more satisfying to this outlandish eccentric both aesthetically and spiritually than any of the chains' offerings. I might note too that they were doing a brisk business in Chicago style hot dogs.

***

I would never want to stir up trouble and denounce chains too vigorously, so I won't. (Ça ne vaut point la peine.) Period.

Ende.

Antonius