Served Through Bulletproof Glass

Favorite places of mine that keep bulletproof glass between you and the cash register and kitchen

Here's mine:

Coleman's Barbecue 1008 S 17th Ave, Maywood

Colemans Hickory House. 555 N. Cicero Avenue, Chicago

Sharks Fish & Chicken 410 S Chicago St, Joliet

Of the three Sharks is my absolute favorite. Fried Oysters, chicken wings w/hot sauce, slaw, a 20oz bottle of Sierra Mist and school cookies is the usual meal eaten between 10:30pm and midnight at one of the four booths they keep in the store. Store and food hygiene is excellent. No bathroom.

In the past, I would have said Ribs N' Bibs although I think that has changed.

Ribs N Bibs
5300 S. Dorchester Ave.
773-493-0400

...who cares one way or the other about the bulletproof glass? I don't get it.

Either way, you can add a few chains - Popeye's at Western and Madison (or thereabouts), and many chain drive-throughs on the south side, such as the KFC at Western and Roosevelt.

Honey 1's old location was all glassed up, and I think Barbara Ann's and Uncle John's both have the bulletproof glass, although I don't think either one uses it all the time.

Chef Luciano's on Cermak near state and michigan has it, too.

I've always found it somewhat of a pain.

gleam wrote:...who cares one way or the other about the bulletproof glass? I don't get it.

I'm drawn to places that fear their customers.

gleam wrote:...who cares one way or the other about the bulletproof glass? I don't get it.

kenji wrote: I'm drawn to places that fear their customers.

LTH banner quotes if I've ever seen 'em. The thing is, which one?

My vote is for the second one....

I'm still pretty fond of the current one. Anyway, I still don't get it.

I don't think any discussion of food through bulletprog glass is complete without mention of Harold's - to me, still, if someone was to ask what smell I associate with Chicago (and also my adolescense) its Harold's - plenty of hot sauce, s&p

There used to be a BBQ place at Chicago and Orleans in the 80s that had bulletproof glass and steel drawers to deliver the food. I thought I was going to get killed there one night with a friend when a young gentleman objected to the way he was looking at the gentleman's female companions.

Fortunately one of the females saved our asses with the following retort - "Don't pay attention to him, he is just a grinning fool," or something to that effect. We grinned obligingly and left.

Not sure if it was that place, Harold's or some other place that had two of those drawers for delivery of food. I was leaning against the one that was not being used and decided to open it - revealing the largest pile of dead cockroaches I have ever seen in my life, and quite possibly more cockroaches than I have ever seen in the rest of my life in total. Impressive.

There was a point in my life when I fell in love with the gritty city and would spend hours and days around old steel mills, derelict neighborhoods and the like. And I know there are more than a couple of other posters here who have the same fixation. Whatever the attraction of all that, and I never really thought about what does attract me to it, I think bulletproof glass has it, too, though the big slabs of plexiglass are not quite as pretty as a hulking old steel mill. Still, with the scratched glass, and the steel mechanisms, it has its charms.

k;jklj;l

Joel Wanek wrote:gleam wrote:
...who cares one way or the other about the bulletproof glass? I don't get it.

kenji wrote:
I'm drawn to places that fear their customers.

I agree Gleam, I don't get it either. I'm not taking Kenji's comments entirely seriously, but it seems to be a good case of exoticism to me. Not entirely unlike an old European explorer going into a remote part of Africa or Asia or wherever and getting all excited to see something so different. Less about the food and more about the "excitement" of being in a foreign land.

Or, it could have been an attempt at humor - which, sadly, was apparently lost on some folks.
Besides, "name your favorite food item from an establishment with primitive security devices installed" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

You made me laugh, Johnny. And you could look at it as another form of "entertainment by abusing the patron" - or "we fear you, we hate you, but we tolerate you to get your money, now order your food, pay us, and get the heck out of here."

Joel Wanek wrote: Not entirely unlike an old European explorer going into a remote part of Africa or Asia or wherever and getting all excited to see something so different. Less about the food and more about the "excitement" of being in a foreign land.

Bulletproof glass is exotic? And places with bulletproof glass in Chicago are in an "exciting foreign land"? And people going to such places are like "European explorers visiting Africa or Asia?"

That is downright weird, Joel.

I get the point that bulletproof glass is not related in any meaningful way to how good the food is, but since I can go around the corner and see bulletproof glass at my local gas station/convenience store, it hardly is exotic, foreign or exciting. It does seem urban to me, even if it can now be found in decidedly suburban and even rural locales. But mostly it just seems late 20th Century American. I like that aesthetic.

Excuse me while I put on my sword and go exploring for more exotica .

Sorry to retire Hammond's breakfast line so soon, but "I'm drawn to places that fear their customers" is T-shirt-worthy.

There are so many places better than Coleman's I honestly don't know where to begin. But my favorite all-you-can-eat buffet behind bulletproof glass would have to be Queen of the Sea.

The plexiglass carosel at times imparts the perfect garnish.

-ramon

HI,

The first time I ever saw a plexiglass booth was in Edna's Soul Food Restaurant. The cashier's cage was entirely wrapped in plexiglass. While I comfortably go about my business in these areas today. I can still remember when I wasn't all that sure.

When doing advance footwork for the Western-athon years later, I was driving around collecting menus with my friend Helen. One location wasn't very easy to find parking, I asked her to run in to get the menu. She returned looking a bit apprehensive because the menu came via the plexiglass carousel.

Maybe someone more attuned to the situation knows, are these plexiglass barriers insisted upon by their insurance companies? Or is this self-insurance?

Regards,

Mike G wrote:Sorry to retire Hammond's breakfast line so soon, but "I'm drawn to places that fear their customers" is T-shirt-worthy.

That is so weird, because I was just going to post in the Sheeple thread "I fear places that draw customers."

David Hammond wrote:

Mike G wrote:Sorry to retire Hammond's breakfast line so soon, but "I'm drawn to places that fear their customers" is T-shirt-worthy.

That is so weird, because I was just going to post in the Sheeple thread "I fear places that draw customers."

Which puts me in mind of my long time favorite Yogi line - "No one goes there any more cause it's too crowded."

I am looking for the perfect place - bulletproof glass, abusive help and all the staff wearing latex gloves and masks, to get that perfect combination of fear and loathing that I know I deserve so well. I would look for the full body condom, but I dare not hope for too much, or do I?

On Madison a just few blocks east of Austin, there was (maybe still is) a free standing sub joint on the N side of road. One of those late nite Mr Sub type places. I found myself there one night in the wee hours after a shift in a restaurant, and a few post shift cocktails. For some reason, I was feeling brave, or stupid, or a little of both. Line of a four or so ppl waiting for their turn to step up to the BP glass enclosed cashier to order their grease, and when the door flew open with two ladies running inside and pounding on the BP glass.

"LET US IN! LET US IN!! - THEY'RE 'BOUT TO START SHOOTING!!"

The people behind the glass took a few steps back, and pretty much gave us all the "You're on your own" treatment (almost as if we should have known they were going to,) and sure enough, in the parking lot of the place, the fireworks started. I think I heard three shots, and the cops were there immediately. It happened so fast, that I don't think anyone was freaked out enough to really digest what happened. Order was restored momentarily, and we all re-assembled the line, ordered our grease, and went about our business. Only when I got home did I start shaking.

Mike G wrote: "I'm drawn to places that fear their customers" is T-shirt-worthy.

Sorry to be taking this so seriously, as I know its meant somewhat
in jest. However, I can't help but to see it as a slight bit racist. The
restaurants being discussed here are largely found in African-American
neighborhoods of the city. Saying these places "fear their customers"
is not only NOT funny to me, its not even accurate. Obviously, they fear being robbed, which is something I have a hard time finding humor in.

And to explain my comment above about exoticising these places. The definition of exotic I was working from is this one: 'Strikingly different or unusual. A term used to describe people and/or cultures that "fascinate" because of their difference.' So to be drawn to these places, in my view, one is exoticising them because they are so different. So, I find the attraction to places with bulletproof glass a bit shallow and insensitive, at the very least.

Joel Wanek wrote:I have a hard time finding humor

I think we've found your tagline.

Oh, Mr. PC, how exactly can a neighborhood
be "African American" - that sounds "racist".
Heh.

johnny wrote:
Or, it could have been an attempt at humor - which, sadly, was apparently lost on some folks.
Besides, "name your favorite food item from an establishment with primitive security devices installed" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Welcome to the PC board.

when the door flew open with two ladies running inside and pounding on the BP glass. "LET US IN! LET US IN!! - THEY'RE 'BOUT TO START SHOOTING!!" The people behind the glass took a few steps back, and pretty much gave us all the "You're on your own" treatment

Lol. I had a somewhat similar experience at Pete's Italian Beef on 78th and Stony Island a number of years back. It was evening in the middle of winter, and I was making an inaugural trip there driven by a need for a large quantity of fried chicken on the cheap. Pete's was recommended because they had trays of 100 wings for $30. At the time I found a great deal of amusement in their takeout menu option of ordering one wing for 50 cents. When I got there, the bulletproof glass was in clear view as were about 40 people waiting for food in a space no bigger than my living room. The 18-25 y.o. thuggish male demographic being substantially represented, everyone was irritable, people were jostling and it was getting kind of tense. I was beginning to think that the family pack at KFC, though comparatively exorbitant in price might be the safer bet when all of the sudden someone screamed out 'MUTHAF***R'. The subsequent reaction can be described as reminiscent of that scene in Discovery Channel's Blue Planet: Seas of Life where the school of sardines gets slashed into by a hungry marlin. The room jumped as one and parted down the middle as people pressed in unison against either wall - the back of the room exited straight out the door in a wonderfully choreographed single movement. Then in the next couple seconds everyone realized that it was the local homeless guy standing there in the corner trying to stay warm. He was off his meds and of course hadn't actually been directing his profanity at anyone in particular. Amidst laughter, he continued to entertain the crowd with sporadic bursts of ranting curse outs. Talk about an ice breaker. I grabbed my tray of wings and hightailed it out of there. The wings were delicious, and my co-workers told me I was nuts to go to Petes at night. I was inclined to agree with them, though I was back the next month and each subsequent month for the year I continued to work in North Kenwood since who in their right mind would turn down 100 wings for $30?

As for bulletproof glass, five years ago I took a job in the Loop after spending the better part of 10 years working in Englewood and the Robert Taylor Homes where such dining acoutremets are the norm. During my first few lunch hours on the job, it took an effort to adjust to not having the glass and lazy susan there. It actually felt slightly odd being in such close proximity to people. My wife simply took it as further evidence of the overdueness of my job change.

Hello all, we took a few posts behind the scenes temporarily to hash things out.

This thread has been tiptoeing around a number of sensitive issues of varying degrees. There is obvious merit in both sides of the question of whether this is even an appropriate discussion to have-- on the one hand it's touching on issues of race which are obviously sensitive, on the other hand so much of this board is about celebrating ethnic diversity in food, which also comes with realistic discussion of the circumstances under which food is served in different racial and ethnic enclaves. We've decided to let the discussion continue, including the discussion about the discussion, but ask that you refrain from attacking or criticizing other posters when discussing the issues. We realize this is a fine line, but we have great confidence in the users of this community to walk it; civil conversation free from personal attacks and slights is the basis of discourse on this board. (Of course, we reserve the right to take other action as it continues to develop.)

I fail to understand how the original post had anything to do with race and/or economic conditions. It was obviously intended to spark a discussion on gun control.

And religion.

Mostly religion.

Barbecue, religion, what's the difference?

My story is a bit different - When I was a young lad, and we walk down the street to the duks at western and division to play video games and get lunch after (or during) school, we knew we had to be out by nightfall because someone would shoot up the arcade from a passing car. Although the duks is now a bank, and it has been at least a decade since i've been anywhere that can rightly call an arcade, I can still remember the bullet holes in the glass every other week or so - and wishing it was bulletproof. The food, IIRC, was terrible. I can definately see why some businesses would choose to put in the plexi, there must be high employee turnover in places where bullets come over the counter as readily as money does. Doesn't necessarily make them better or worse, but it isn't easy to find the same caliber (haha) of food in non-bulletproof establishments.

Erik.

SCUBAchef wrote:

Joel Wanek wrote:I have a hard time finding humor

I think we've found your tagline.

Oh, Mr. PC, how exactly can a neighborhood
be "African American" - that sounds "racist".
Heh.

Well, perhaps you need to study your history. This is one of the most segregated cities in the country. Ride a bus from the far north side to the south (or east to west) sometime and see for yourself.

Nearly every place discussed in this thread is a BBQ or Soul Food restaurant in largely African-American neighborhoods, serving largely African-American clientele. The subject of the thread could have easily been BBQ or Soul Food restaurants. But instead its "Served Through Bulletproof Glass". I just find that quite a bit insensitive to the owners of the restaurants and irrelevant to the food itself.

Let me throw out a place that's in a neighborhood that isn't primarily African-American and doesn't serve soul food.

I happened upon this place at 1am in July, picking up a very delayed friend from Midway. We were both starving, so while waiting for him to make it off the plane I pulled into The Original Maxwell Street Station.

This is a little hut at the Northeast corner of 67th and Cicero, just north of the overpass. I remember as a kid this site being a variety of things that were always closed and had cheap stuffed animals in the window. Now, it's a newly built concrete and bullet proof glass fortress that turns out good Maxwell style dogs (grilled onions and mustard) on a steamed bun and what might be some of the best super greasy fries I have ever had. And it's open 24 hours.

Original Maxwell Street Station
6659 S Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60638
(773) 581-2600