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Portillo’s Celebrates 60 Years

Dick Portillo first opened the Dog House on April 5, 1963. So they’re celebrating with a throw back to their original trailer, bringing the Dog House back out. Every Thursday, from now through June 8. The Dog House will be parked at different Chicagoland restaurants.

May 4: Naperville

1992 W. Jefferson

May 11:

Glendale Heights

235 North Ave.

May 18: Elgin

1020 S. Randall Rd.

May 25: Crystal Lake

855 Cog Circle

June 1: Rockford

6090 State Street

June 8: Villa Park

635 1/2 North Ave.

Portillo’s is known for their famous Chicagostyle hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, chopped salad, cheese fries, homemade chocolate cake, and chocolate cake shake. Portillo’s has more than 70 restaurants across nine states.

Your Ice Machine Could Be Costing You Extra

Want to save money on your restaurant’s monthly utility bills? Consider an energy-efficient ice machine.

Energy Star, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program identifying energy efficient consumer products, includes only select commercial ice machine models. Finding an Energy Star model that meets your ice type and daily ice amount needs isn’t always feasible, but if you can, they’re a much more efficient choice than the alternatives. Energy Star batch-type ice machines are 10% more energy efficient and 20% more water efficient than other models, while Energy Star continuous-type ice machines are 16% more energy efficient than non-Energy Star models. Your utility company may even offer a rebate for Energy Star ice machines too!

Even the most well-designed Energy Star ice machine will drive up your monthly utility bills if it’s not properly installed. Whether you buy or rent your ice machine, the technician installing it should make sure the DEWS (Drain, Electrical, Water, and Space) check out. Improperly installed ice machines can demonstrate prolonged harvest cycles due to inadequate water supply, meaning it will take more time and use extra water to produce each batch of ice—up to 4 gallons a minute! That’s a lot of water to pay for. On the energy side, ice machines installed on the same circuit as another appliance can trip the breaker, leading to unnecessary service calls that’ll cost you. And that’s just one possible installation mistake affecting electricity usage.

Moral of the story: to keep your utility bills as low as possible, pick an ice machine designed to save energy and water, and make sure it’s well-installed.

– You can find the Easy Ice ad on page 15.

Aloha Poke Co., the nation’s premier fast casual poke brand, opens its newest Chicago-area location in the suburb of Deerfield. The store is located at 654 Deerfield Road. The Deerfield restaurant will be the 21st store in the brand’s system, the 14th company-owned store, and the 10th store in the Chicago region. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. recently opened BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, on a free-standing pad near Orland Square Mall in Orland Park, Illinois. The restaurant is approximately 7,500 square feet, seats approximately 250 guests and features BJ’s extensive menu. This is their first Illinois location. Chocolate Fest returns to the historic streets of downtown Long Grove, May 19th through 21st. From hot chocolate eats to cold chocolate drinks, Chocolate Fest has it all, with three days of chocolate-infused cuisine and chocolate-infused experiences plus live music, games, artists, and activities. Daisies, Joe Frillman’s restaurant, opened its brand-new location at 2375 N Milwaukee Ave. Announcing Radicle Food Group, a newly formed hospitality collective alongside partner and pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky, the new iteration of Daisies continues to take inspiration from the seasonal bounty of the Midwest, directly tapping into Frillman Farms, his brother Tim’s 30-acre farm located just outside St. Joseph, Michigan. Dom’s Kitchen & Market , an omni-channel food emporium, announces heir exclusive partnership with Avli Restaurant Group. For the first time in a retail space, Chicago-based Avli, will provide shoppers with approachable & chef-driven contemporary Greek to-go meals, spreads, a Greek salad, soup, and select privatelabel Avli wines at both Dom’s Kitchen & Market locations.

The Food Safety Summit will be held May 9-11, 2023 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Rosemont. A solution-based conference and expo designed to meet the educational and informational needs of the entire food industry. Locally-owned Hyde Park Hospitality, in partnership with Phillips Concessions, a 100% Airport Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises announced that they will bring a Chick-fil-A restaurant to O’Hare International Airport at Terminal 5, the first location for chicken chain in the Chicago airport, of which the 100% minority-owned group will own and operate, expected to open later in 2023.

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois will make Logan Square its newest location in the city of Chicago with the opening of their new restaurant at 3333 W Fullerton Ave. The space will offer carryout and delivery, and will not include a dining room. The Sweets & Snacks Expo show Hosted by the National Confectioners Association, will take place May 22–25 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The Sweets & Snacks Expo is the can’t-miss event for the candy and snack industries. Wine on the Fox will take place Saturday May 6 and Sunday May 7 at Hudson Crossing Park, 65 N. Harrison St, Oswego along the banks of the Fox River. Taste from more than 100 regional wine selections, enjoy live music and tasty local food. Ziyad Brothers, a leading omni-channel provider of branded Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods, announced that it has acquired Vintage Food Corp. a leading distributor of branded Turkish, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European food and beverage products. Loyalty

AROUND CHICAGO with VALERIE MILLER

WILDBERRY PANCAKES & CAFÉ

Wildberry Pancakes and Café is located at 130 E. Randolph Street in Chicago. They opened in 2011 and are now celebrating their 12th year. They specialize in American breakfast and lunch fare. According to Peter Bovis, Owner/Partner of this location, menu favorites include anything “Berry Bliss.” The “Signature Berry Bliss” is Berry mascarpone filling, fresh berries, vanilla cream, anglaise and blackberry coulis. You can get that with Crepes, pancakes, French toast or on a waffle. The menu includes more breakfast options, refreshing salads and signature sandwiches. The kid’s menu is called “Little Berries”.

Wildberry Pancakes and Café has an ideal location. They are located right across the street from Millennium Park. You will find them on the ground floor of the Prudential Building on the corner of Michigan Ave. and Randolph St. They are popular with the local residents, tourists and office workers. They are open every day of the year from 7:00am until 2:00 pm. except for Christmas day. Indoor dining, delivery and patio seating is available (seasonal). Their outdoor patio offers some great people watching!

Wildberry Pancake and Café also has three additional locations located at:

• 196 E. Pearson St. in Chicago, Illinois

• 1783 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville, Illinois

• 1383 Meacham Rd. in Schaumburg, Illinois

— For more information visit: wildberrycafe.com

‘Gibsons’ continued from cover and putting the customer first, and we can’t wait to bring this experience to Grandscape.” Quartino features a menu of Italian small plates that focus on regional specialties made in-house with the highest respect for Italian culinary traditions.

Gibsons Restaurant Group (GRG) began in 1989 with the founding of Chicago’s iconic Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse on Rush Street by Steve Lombardo and Hugo Ralli. With the core philosophy of providing the best hospitality, quality and value to its customers, Gibsons quickly became one of the top restaurants in Chicago. Today, GRG operates several distinguished concepts, including Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House, LUXBAR, Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar, Gibsons Italia and The BOATHOUSE. Seven GRG restaurants are in the top 100 highestgrossing in the United States, according to Restaurant Business. In addition, GRG manages premier independent restaurants including RL Restaurant in Chicago on behalf of Ralph Lauren, ChiSox Bar & Grill on behalf of the Chicago White Sox and Hugo’s Frog Bar & Chop House on behalf of Rivers Casino. In partnership with José Andrés Group, GRG has recently opened Bazaar Meat, Bar Mar, & Café by the River in Chicago. This joint venture represents an unprecedented pairing of GRG’s Lombardo family with the two-Michelin star Chef Andrés, combining the culinary ingenuity of his José Andrés Group with the operational expertise of the Gibsons team. All locations owned or operated by Gibsons Restaurant Group embody its core philosophy, which has contributed to its continued growth and success.