10 Haunted Chicago Restaurants To Visit Before The Afterlife
By: Valya Borisova| Oct 14, 2016 | spoonuniversity.com
If Chicago didn’t already give you the chills, these 10 haunted restaurants are sure to send a shiver down your spine. As a lover of both food and Halloween, I set out on a quest to find the most haunted restaurants in Chicago to keep my stomach full and my heart racing.
The guests you will dine with include a man that hung himself in the Chicago fire, as well as a woman that fell 90 floors to her death. Up for the challenge?
Stuff Your Face During Lincoln Square & Ravenswood Restaurant Week
By: Anthony Todd | Oct 17, 2016 | chicagoist.com
The “real” Restaurant Week is still a few months away, but if you’re looking for some great dining deals, this event on the Northwest side might be just the thing. Restaurants in the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood area have teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce for a special neighborhood restaurant week, and it’s going on now.
The event, which runs from Oct. 16 through Oct. 21, invites restaurants to create deals of their own – they aren’t stuck to a particular prix fixe format. Some, like Ampersand Wine Bar and Bistro Campagne, have created multi-course menus. We’re particularly fond of Band of Bohemia’s, which includes a beer flight, appetizer and entree for $45…
POLL: Which Factor Is Most Important For A Successful Restaurant?
3Q: Disappointing News For Restaurant Industry
The downturn for most of the restaurant industry continued during September. Same-store sales were negative for the fourth consecutive month and chain restaurants endured another period of declining guest counts. Even restaurant job growth, which until recently had been posting solid gains, dropped considerably. This insight comes from data reported by TDn2K through The Restaurant Industry Snapshot, based on weekly sales from nearly 25,000 restaurant units and 130+ brands, representing $64 billion dollars in annual revenue.
Same-store sales growth for September was -1.1 percent, a decline of 0.5 percentage points from August. “The key driver behind the fall in sales during September was a decline in traffic, which continues to be the biggest challenge for chain restaurants,” said Victor Fernandez, executive director of insights and knowledge for TDn2K. “After improving slightly in August, traffic fell -3.5 percent in September. Traffic counts have fallen by at least -3.0 percent in four of the last six months.”
The third quarter of 2016, at -1.0 percent same-store sales growth and -3.4 percent in traffic, was the weakest quarter since the second quarter of 2010. Year-to-date results also present a sobering picture. Through September, 2016 sales growth was -0.6 percent, driven by a troubling -2.8 percent change in traffic. At the current pace, 2016 would be the weakest annual performance since 2009, when the industry was recovering from the recession….
Wrigleyville Plans To Offer More Than Just Baseball…
Wrigley Field is more than a baseball stadium. It is a pilgrimage site for faithful Cubs fans and for anyone else serious about Major League Baseball. The second oldest Major League stadium, Wrigley has changed very little in its 102 years. On the other hand, the surrounding Lakeview neighborhood has evolved, and is evolving, at an ever increasing rate. Three new major projects immediately adjacent to the field are hoping to transform the area into a year-round attraction.
Sharing an irregular block with the stadium a new mid-rise tower is well on its way to completion. Designed by Stantec (formerly VOA), the mixed-use office-retail project will be the new home of the Cubs administration and a backdrop for a new plaza. The six-story structure is careful not to be taller than the stadium, and is only slightly taller than the three- and four-story residential neighborhood beyond. The triangular plaza created by the new building and the stadium is expected to be a vibrant public space with programing throughout the year.
“The Ricketts family’s goal is to provide an environment that is community-friendly and has a sense of space that can be a town square for Wrigleyville.” Hickory Street Capital’s vice president Eric Nordness, himself a Wrigleyville resident, said. “That can be everything from family ice skating in the winter and farmer’s markets in the summer and fall, all the way to kid’s theater programs and a maybe a movie series on the large AV screen on the front of the building.”
Along with the office project, Stantec and Hickory Street Capital are also behind a seven-story hotel beginning to rise across the street. The future Starwood Hotel will have 180 rooms, with extensive retail and concessions at street level. Both projects were initiated and backed by the Ricketts family, owners of the Cubs. The office tower and plaza are expected to be completed by summer 2017, and the hotel opening is planned for summer 2018.
Directly across the street to the south of the stadium, another major development has recently broken ground. The Solomon Cordwell Buenz-designed Clark and Addison is going up after nearly 10 years of negotiating with the public over the project’s form and program. Weaving between existing buildings along Clark street, the large mixed-use complex will include a 10-screen theater, retail, apartments, and a recreation clubhouse. Residents of the 148 apartments will have access to a community kitchen, a fitness center, event space, and a business center. The building’s clubhouse will also offer over 5,000 square feet of indoor space and 8,746 square feet of rooftop outdoor space, which includes a pool and spa. The project steps back six feet at the street level to widen the sidewalk for the throngs of fans that pass the project on their way to the stadium.
By 2018, the heart of the Wrigleyville neighborhood will be unrecognizable, except for the constant that is Wrigley Field. Considering the proximity to Lake Michigan, transportation, a major university, and an already thriving nightlife scene, it was only a matter of time before the area around the field was updated. With a new public plaza, and more non-baseball related entertainment, the Friendly Confines will be just that much more friendly.
(H/T archpaper.com)