clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Culver's Coming to South Side, Sun-Times Editorializes Food Truck Investigation, More Intel

Plus, you'll be able to drink inside Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House soon

Culver's in suburban Morton Grove, outside the city
Culver's in suburban Morton Grove, outside the city
Yelp

—As plans for Chicago's first Culver's have been delayed in Wrigleyville and Portage Park, a new contender has emerged on the South Side. DNAinfo reports that the popular "ButterBurger" fast-food chain is coming to Bronzeville, and even though it is the third announced location in the city, it may be the first to open as it's slated to start serving in February near 35th Street and Martin Luther King Drive. The Wrigleyville location was pushed back to sometime in 2017 and there's no word when the Portage Park spot will open, as it's slated for a new development on the Northwest Side.

—In the wake of last week's polarizing investigation by the Sun-Times and ABC7 that revealed how Chicago food trucks routinely break the city's strict laws and that law enforcement routinely looks the other way, the Sun-Times attempted to back up the story with an editorial into the subject that was published on Sunday. In part, it opines that "we'd like to see the industry thrive, although not at the expense of brick-and-mortar restaurants that are a big part of Chicago's economy. City Hall needs to rewrite its rules for food trucks to strike a better balance between the two competing industries and — this is essential — create incentives for food-truck operators to expand to neighborhoods where there is a shortage of restaurants."

Meanwhile, many truck owners and eaters took issue with the story that shed light on the archaic laws, including The Cheesie's Truck which wrote in a Facebook post that "There are major issues that are impacting the local food truck community and causing food tucks [sic] to break some of the rules in the current food truck ordinance.
This is because those rules are inherently unjust, are in place only to protect larger businesses from our competition, and are set up to allow our industry to fail.
These rules do not exist in most other major cities that have 10 times the amount of food trucks that are peacefully coinciding with a thriving restaurant scene." Which side to you stand on?

—Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic South Side architectural masterpiece the Robie House will start serving drinks and snacks again this fall in another series of "After Hour Events," Curbed Chicago reports. You'll be able to eat, drink, listen to live music and explore the Hyde Park house on every Friday in October for $30 for Trust members and $35 for non-members.

Furious Spoon has changed a policy that many diners found frustrating since the first location opened 18 months ago—it now serves ramen to go. Could delivery be next?

—Acclaimed Southport fish and bagel restaurant Snaggletooth now has an after-hours raw bar every Friday evening serving oysters, crudos, and warm appetizers—and it's BYOB—every week from 5-8 p.m.

—Popular porky cookoff Cochon 555 Heritage BBQ is coming back to Chicago on Sept. 11 at the Loews Chicago Hotel, with a standout lineup of competing chefs: Chris Pandel (The Bristol), Andres Padilla (Topolobampo), Ashlee Aubin (Salero), Won Kim (Kimski), and Frank Valdez (Son of a Butcher). Tickets are available here.

Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House

5757 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637 Visit Website

Snaggletooth

2819 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 773-715-4790

Furious Spoon

2410 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 770-3559 Visit Website

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Eater Chicago newsletter

The freshest news from the local food world