Chicago/UIC-filter: What food donations to send to UIC Strike HQ?
February 17, 2014 2:50 PM Subscribe
What kind of food donations can I send to the UIC faculty strike headquarters?
UIC faculty are preparing for a 48-hour strike beginning tomorrow. I don't live in Chicago, but want to send a food donation to the strike HQ, at the Hull House.
Not being from Chicago (or anywhere near it...), I have no idea which restaurants/shops would be willing to deliver food from someone calling from out of state. I'd prefer to go with a local business if possible, bonus points for any that are generally pro-labor. I'm willing to chuck in $25-40.
Suggestions for solidarity-in-food, MeFites?
UIC faculty are preparing for a 48-hour strike beginning tomorrow. I don't live in Chicago, but want to send a food donation to the strike HQ, at the Hull House.
Not being from Chicago (or anywhere near it...), I have no idea which restaurants/shops would be willing to deliver food from someone calling from out of state. I'd prefer to go with a local business if possible, bonus points for any that are generally pro-labor. I'm willing to chuck in $25-40.
Suggestions for solidarity-in-food, MeFites?
Best answer: I work a few blocks from here. Unfortunately I don't know of any explicitly pro-labor restaurants in this neighborhood, but I can make some suggestions for cheap, local or local-ish delivery-friendly options:
Pompei: Okay local chain pizza and Italian food. Delivers, and sells stuff in foodservice-size portions. This is where my employer orders pizza when they buy pizza for the staff. Only seems not-awesome because Chicago has such an embarrassment of truly great pizza.
Conte di Savoia: Good Italian sub sandwiches and antipasti-type stuff. No prices on the online menu, but sandwiches are in the $4-8 range depending on content and length. Make sure you call the right one, there's a second location on the same street about a mile to the west. Accepts phone orders for pickup or delivers via GrubHub (I've never used GrubHub so I can't promise it will do what you want).
Al’s No 1 Italian Beef: Italian beef. Probably no vegetarian options, may not travel as well as, say, pizza. Also delivers via GrubHub.
Ghareeb Nawaz Express: Inexpensive Indian/Pakistani food, lots of vegetarian options, halal (I think). Delivers. Not to everyone's taste, though I love it. Tends towards filling, greasy, sometimes mediocre service.
Lotus Cafe: Banh mi, vegetarian/vegan options, delivers. I've only eaten there once, but it was good.
posted by pullayup at 3:38 PM on February 17, 2014
Pompei: Okay local chain pizza and Italian food. Delivers, and sells stuff in foodservice-size portions. This is where my employer orders pizza when they buy pizza for the staff. Only seems not-awesome because Chicago has such an embarrassment of truly great pizza.
Conte di Savoia: Good Italian sub sandwiches and antipasti-type stuff. No prices on the online menu, but sandwiches are in the $4-8 range depending on content and length. Make sure you call the right one, there's a second location on the same street about a mile to the west. Accepts phone orders for pickup or delivers via GrubHub (I've never used GrubHub so I can't promise it will do what you want).
Al’s No 1 Italian Beef: Italian beef. Probably no vegetarian options, may not travel as well as, say, pizza. Also delivers via GrubHub.
Ghareeb Nawaz Express: Inexpensive Indian/Pakistani food, lots of vegetarian options, halal (I think). Delivers. Not to everyone's taste, though I love it. Tends towards filling, greasy, sometimes mediocre service.
Lotus Cafe: Banh mi, vegetarian/vegan options, delivers. I've only eaten there once, but it was good.
posted by pullayup at 3:38 PM on February 17, 2014
Best answer: Conte di Savola is great, and as far as I know local family owned.
Taylor as so many options in that area. So many. Its basically just a street of restaurants for like 10 blocks. I'd look between Ashland and Halsted on West Taylor (that would be restaurants with the addresses of 1600 W Taylor - 800 West Taylor).
Nuevo Leon is on 18th, and is AMAZING. People argue that it is the best Mexican in Chicago, and is most definitely locally owned. I don't know if they actually deliver.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:17 PM on February 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
Taylor as so many options in that area. So many. Its basically just a street of restaurants for like 10 blocks. I'd look between Ashland and Halsted on West Taylor (that would be restaurants with the addresses of 1600 W Taylor - 800 West Taylor).
Nuevo Leon is on 18th, and is AMAZING. People argue that it is the best Mexican in Chicago, and is most definitely locally owned. I don't know if they actually deliver.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:17 PM on February 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
Is there a Potbelly Sandwich shop nearby? They sell a boxed sandwich assortment that works great for a group.
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:43 PM on February 17, 2014
posted by JoeZydeco at 5:43 PM on February 17, 2014
@JoeZydeco Yes, there is a potbelly on Taylor in that area.
posted by AlexiaSky at 5:44 PM on February 17, 2014
posted by AlexiaSky at 5:44 PM on February 17, 2014
Fontano's is a true local place. It's a sub shop that also happens to supply most of the local Italian restaurants with meatballs and sausages. They have been successful enough to open a few other stores in the Chicago area but the very first one is closer to Hull House then some of the other places mentioned. (Though none are far.)
Their website is... Terrible. Better to just call?
http://fontanossubs.com
You could also try Carm's which says they are an Italian beef and place but everybody goes there for the hot dogs and Italian ice. Their website is also not ideal.
http://www.carms.com/menu.html
Full disclosure, I grew up three blocks from these places (and five blocks from Hull House) and used to hang out at Fontano's on Sundays making sausages and meatballs. Because I had a strange idea of fun as a kid.
posted by rip at 10:46 PM on February 17, 2014
Their website is... Terrible. Better to just call?
http://fontanossubs.com
You could also try Carm's which says they are an Italian beef and place but everybody goes there for the hot dogs and Italian ice. Their website is also not ideal.
http://www.carms.com/menu.html
Full disclosure, I grew up three blocks from these places (and five blocks from Hull House) and used to hang out at Fontano's on Sundays making sausages and meatballs. Because I had a strange idea of fun as a kid.
posted by rip at 10:46 PM on February 17, 2014
Response by poster: Thanks everyone for your help! I ended up calling Conte di Savoia. They were really nice, and super helpful in figuring out what to deliver. Let's hope the faculty get a contract soon!
posted by mostly vowels at 4:37 PM on February 19, 2014
posted by mostly vowels at 4:37 PM on February 19, 2014
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posted by ProtoStar at 2:59 PM on February 17, 2014