Mr. Beef
Mr. Beef is an Italian beef restaurant located in River North, Chicago, United States.[1][2][3][4]
Information
The restaurant is owned by Joe Zucchero and originally started out as a stand in 1979.[1] The restaurant features Italian beef sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries and pizza puffs.[5][6] The restaurant survived financial troubles in 2009.[7]
The restaurant is most notable for being the inspiration and the storefront[8] for the television series, The Bear, which is about an Italian beef restaurant in Chicago.[9] Christopher Storer, the producer of the show, cites Chris Zucchero, Joe Zucchero's son, as a friend.[9] The television series more than doubled business at the store, as they went from selling 300 sandwiches a day to over 800.[10] The owner of Mr. Beef, Joe Zucchero, died in March 2023, though the restaurant will stay open.[1][11][12]
In popular culture
Along with being featured on The Bear, the restaurant was featured on Food Wars, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno[13][14] and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[15]
References
- ^ a b c Slevarn, Ashok (2023), The Founder of Mr. Beef, the Legendary Chicago Italian Beef Stand, Has Died, web: Eater Chicago, archived from the original on March 13, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Fierro, Iridian (2022), Mr. Beef co-owner Chris Zucchero on how popularity of Italian Beef has skyrocketed due to Hulu series ‘The Bear’, web: Eater Chicago, archived from the original on March 7, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Roadfood, publisher: Broadway Books, published: 2005
- ^ Top 10 Chicago, publisher: DK Publishing, published: 2014
- ^ 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late, publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, published: 2009
- ^ "Mr. Beef on Orleans". Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- ^ Save Mr. Beef!, web: Huffington Post, 2017, archived from the original on March 7, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Simon, Scott (2022), How Chicago came to love the Italian beef sandwich, web: NPR, archived from the original on November 14, 2022, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ a b Gordinier, Jeff (2022), A Conversation with the Guy Who Created The Bear, web: Esquire, archived from the original on March 15, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ "Demand for Italian Beef Is Booming. Thank 'The Bear.'". Archived from the original on 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- ^ Joe Zucchero, longtime owner of Mr. Beef, dies at 69, web: CBS Chicago, 2023, archived from the original on March 8, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ "Founder of Chicago's iconic Mr. Beef dies at 69". Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- ^ Bank Hogties Chicago's Mr. Beef, a Leno Favorite, web: CBS News, 2009, archived from the original on March 7, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Gentile, Jay (2016), How the Italian Beef Became the Iconic Sloppy Sandwich of Chicago, web: Thrillist, archived from the original on March 14, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
- ^ Riley, Marcus (2013), Jimmy Fallon “Freaked Out” By Mr. Beef, web: NBC Chicago, archived from the original on March 7, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023