Does anyone know the hours of the outlet store?

100 W. Pershing
Chicago, IL 60609
773-650-6338

1630 N. Deerfield Rd
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-831-9435

The Highland Park store has been closed for several years.

Diannie wrote:Does anyone know the hours of the outlet store?

I believe 7 or 8AM until 5PM Mon-Thur. Friday it's 7 or 8 until 2 or 3PM. They close early that day for the Jewish Sabbath and are closed on Saturday. Not sure about Sunday.

This may be their phone number (773) 650-6339

Hello Friends,

I work in the distribution side of the food industry, and hate to inform everyone that the outlet store will be closing January 30th. Here's a copy of the letter from Sara Lee:

November 19, 2008
To: Sara Lee Foodservice Customers & Brokers
Re: Chicago Kosher Meat Processing Facility Announcement
Today, Sara Lee announced that it will be closing its kosher hot dog and meat processing facility in Chicago on or before January 30, 2009. As a result of this closure, Sara Lee will discontinue manufacturing and distributing products made under the Best’s Kosher, Sinai Kosher, Shofar and Wilno brands. Final shipment for these products will be on January 30, 2009.
We are committed to working closely with you during this transition to ensure we continue to provide kosher meat products for the duration of the Chicago facility’s operation. We offer a wide-range of products designed to meet diverse consumer needs and we will work with you to offer alternative solutions in Sara Lee’s portfolio of premium meat and hot dog brands.
This was a difficult decision. Sara Lee recognizes and appreciates the tremendous consumer loyalty to our kosher meat products and understands that their discontinuation will lead to fewer kosher options. However, based on the profitability expectations we have as a company, there is not an operating model that delivers the necessary financial returns to make the kosher meat business viable for us.
Though all kosher meat products manufactured by Sara Lee are being discontinued, the company will retain ownership of all of its kosher brands, including the Best’s Kosher, Sinai Kosher, Shofar and Wilno trademarks. There are no immediate plans to license or permit other manufacturers to produce products under these brands.
You have our pledge that our priority is you – our customer. Providing great value and great service on great brands has always been at the heart of our business and will remain so. We thank you for your continued patronage.

Artie wrote:

citywide03 wrote:I second the Best Kosher outlet store on Pershing. They serve good dogs and sandwiches at very good prices. As it's an outlet store so you can by the product at the store as well. No fries, only chips! I don't remember a whole lot of Greek in NY when I was there, perhaps Greektown. Chicago also has some of the best Mexican rest. in the country.

Some sad news...

Sara Lee closing S. Side kosher hot dog plant
November 19, 2008
BY CHERYL V. JACKSON cjackson@suntimes.com

Sara Lee Corp. is closing its South Side kosher hot dog and meat processing plant, 1000 W. Pershing, leaving about 185 people without jobs.

The Downers Grove-headquartered food maker is exiting the kosher meat business, cutting its Best's Kosher, Sinai Kosher, Shofar and Wilno brands. Sara Lee -- which owns Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean and Ball Park brands -- has been trimming brands to focus on areas of business in which it believes it can be most profitable. It sold its sauces and dressings business in September.

The kosher meat plant, as well as the Sinai Kosher outlet store located on the premises, will close on or before Jan. 30, the company said. Sara Lee plans to sell the facility and property.
http://www.suntimes.com/business/128906 ... -w.article

I hope somebody BUYS the place. Why just close it down????

Some sad news...

Sara Lee closing S. Side kosher hot dog plant
November 19, 2008
BY CHERYL V. JACKSON cjackson@suntimes.com

Sara Lee Corp. is closing its South Side kosher hot dog and meat processing plant, 1000 W. Pershing, leaving about 185 people without jobs.

The Downers Grove-headquartered food maker is exiting the kosher meat business, cutting its Best's Kosher, Sinai Kosher, Shofar and Wilno brands. Sara Lee -- which owns Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean and Ball Park brands -- has been trimming brands to focus on areas of business in which it believes it can be most profitable. It sold its sauces and dressings business in September.

The kosher meat plant, as well as the Sinai Kosher outlet store located on the premises, will close on or before Jan. 30, the company said. Sara Lee plans to sell the facility and property.
http://www.suntimes.com/business/128906 ... -w.article[/quote]

I hope somebody BUYS the place. Why just close it down????[/quote]

Sara Lee has made it clear that they are "Not Interested" in selling Best Kosher, because there has been an investor group who has offered to discuss the option with them and have been turned away with the same vague corporate speak contained in the original announcement. For the record - Best Kosher was a profitable entity. A great Brand in existence for over 100 years and look what Sara Lee has done with it in a brief 10-15 years. And they have the nerve to use that "Brand" "Market" "Model" doubletalk in an effort hide their shameful job-killing arrogant actions. They are afraid someone will buy the company and actually grow it back to the size it was when they originally purchased it. They have failed, utterly. The stock price is not going to get better as long as they keep making these goofy decisions. Sell the equipment - and sell the real estate in the worst real estate market in 30years! It is sad news indeed.

There are still Sinai products at the Costco on Damen. Buy the salami while you can!

leek wrote:There are still Sinai products at the Costco on Damen. Buy the salami while you can!

I also found them at the Market Day Store in Homewood as of a week or 2 ago.

Market Day Store
18400 Governor's Highway
Homewood, IL
Phone: (708) 957-3301

This very moving piece by Susan Berger, great-granddaughter of the Best's Kosher founder, appears at the Trib's web site today:

But for my family, and the Jewish community in particular, we are mourning one fatality of the financial meltdown that for us is unthinkable.

Hot dogs. Corned beef. Tongue. Pastrami. Bologna. By the end of the month, the company that my great-grandfather Isaac Oscherwitz started in 1886 will close. Best's Kosher Sausage Co., was family owned for more than 100 years. In 1993, Sara Lee Corp. acquired Best's Kosher. Mike Cummins, a Sara Lee spokesperson, said of the closing: "It was not because it's not profitable—it's just not where it needs to be."

This is a loss not only for my family, but for the millions of Jews who keep kosher and the many millions who don't but learned to love my family's hot dogs.

The end of a Chicago tradition

=R=

That is too sad!

Over the last year I have found myself driving by the factory in the area of the old stockyards and always planned to stop by to see if they had a factory store and even better yet a snack counter.

Grrr...

Best Kosher Foods Corporation‎
(773) 650-5900‎
Sinai Kosher Foods Corporation‎
(773) 650-6339

1000 W Pershing Rd, Chicago

can we start a march of dimes-style campaign to save the hot dogs?

Anyone know why the family sold the business to Sara lee?

Marshall K wrote:Anyone know why the family sold the business to Sara lee?

An offer they couldn't refuse?

I assumed it was the almighty $ that moved the family to sell. So much for the moving piece in the Trib.

Marshall K wrote:I assumed it was the almighty $ that moved the family to sell. So much for the moving piece in the Trib.

Two separate issues, IMO. The writer is sad because the brand, which was part of her family history for a long time, is coming to an end. She has no financial interest in this decision, it just stirred her emotions. Does the fact that the company was sold in the past somehow invalidate her feelings of loss and nostalgia? Not in my book. And even more importantly, the story is about the loss of a local institution, a loss which represents a sad trend about which many of us can empathize.

=R=

Marshall K wrote:Anyone know why the family sold the business to Sara lee?

There could have been reasons other than $$, such as differences over company direction or the next generation lacking someone with both the interest and skills to run the company.

Today the Jewel store in the Deerbrook Mall (Deerfield) had Best Kosher salami (low-fat and regular) in the deli case at $9.29/lb. and $9.49/lb. Also one pound packages of Best Kosher hot dogs (6 count and 8 count) were in the coolers along the wall priced at $6.49 with a tag saying "buy one, get one free." I don't recall whether it required a Jewel card to get the two-fer.

As noted by Ronnie above, per the Tribune story a Sara Lee spokesman said

"It was not because it's not profitable—it's just not where it needs to be."

This sort of stuff is incomprehensible to me. As long as the cash cow is producing, either keep on milking it or else sell it off and use the proceeds elsewhere. A going business is almost always worth more than the pieces, and by continuing operations it puts the seller in a better negotiating position.

Other reasons to keep it going include (1) this is hardly the time to sell just the physical facilities, and (2) the value of the brands (which Sara Lee apparently won't license) will decline over time unless they are maintained.

The only other justifications for closing down but not selling that I can think of are either it took up too much management time (which I find hard to imagine) or Sara Lee has long term plans to re-enter the Kosher market. But if it's the latter, why drop out in the first place?

Do we have our facts straight? Is there someone from Sara Lee out there who could explain this?

I want my hot dogs!

Maybe Sara Lee had to update the manuf. facility and just didn't think it was worth it at this time?

This sort of stuff is incomprehensible to me. As long as the cash cow is producing, either keep on milking it or else sell it off and use the proceeds elsewhere. A going business is almost always worth more than the pieces, and by continuing operations it puts the seller in a better negotiating position.

Knowing nothing about Sara Lee, but a little about food businesses, I would be very surprised if they hadn't tried to sell it prior to the decison to shut it down and found no takers.

12/27/2008 above, Spikesup posted:

Sara Lee has made it clear that they are "Not Interested" in selling Best Kosher, because there has been an investor group who has offered to discuss the option with them and have been turned away with the same vague corporate speak contained in the original announcement. For the record - Best Kosher was a profitable entity.

Thus my mystification as to the reason for closing.

they probably don't want anyone else to compete with their ballpark and hillshire farms brands.

well i went down to the factory store today after knowing for forever the inevitable. i kept on forgetting about it or pushing it back, but the bell that tolls is quite near.

best's kosher has forever been my favorite dog ever since trying them as a little tyke when my parents would take me along to the warehouse club (the precursor to sam's club). i would occasionally treat myself to the dinner franks, which were expensive but were good and so i would relish those times i would pick it up. of course the filipino in me would often find them paired as simply as with rice or chopped up into meaty chunks into some ramen, or as fancily paired with a delicious self made hearty mushroom couscous.

and so due to this board i found out my favorite dog was going the path of so many favorites that are long gone.

there were alot of people there asking the counter people questions and wandering about. looking through what was left. mostly just dinner franks, standard dogs and a few bags of whole corned beef were all that is left. likely they will only have some stuff left thru tomorrow.

pretty good deals on a rather somber day. they have BIG cryo-sealed cases of standard dogs for $10, two for $17.50. forgot the exact info on it. got two of those. my favorites the dinner franks were sold in individual cryo-sealed packages of four to a pound for $2.50. (that's a great deal for what i usually get them for at the grocer). or you get get a box of 12 of those for $24.50. got two of those too. i'm gonna try to make these guys last as long as i can. altough i am quite sad and certain that my children will never be able to taste these wonderful dogs.

i wished the friendly counter people god bless and good luck. i hope they're getting a decent severance package.

so if you've been meaning to go. GO TOMORROW.

thanks for all the good times best's.

almost forgot this. it wasn't such a somber day. i did get some great deals on some great dogs. but as i drove all the way down halsted to pershing (i like taking long leisurely drives which reminds me that i still need to make my way out to elburn), and noticed on the way both ed's potsticker house and healthy lithuaniun. i was like so that's where they are. BOTH of them!

teatpuller wrote:they probably don't want anyone else to compete with their ballpark and hillshire farms brands.

Many years ago I bought a pack of ball park franks. Uuugghh! Never again. I think after one bite, the rest went into the trash. I think the main ingredient is FAT.

I spent years boycotting Kraft products. Is it time to add Sara Lee to the list?

teatpuller wrote:they probably don't want anyone else to compete with their ballpark and hillshire farms brands.

Vienna Beef lives!

George R wrote:

teatpuller wrote:they probably don't want anyone else to compete with their ballpark and hillshire farms brands.

Vienna Beef lives!

Vienna Beef products are *NOT* Kosher:

http://www.viennabeef.com/about/faq/#FAQ56

j r wrote:

George R wrote:

teatpuller wrote:they probably don't want anyone else to compete with their ballpark and hillshire farms brands.

Vienna Beef lives!

Vienna Beef products are *NOT* Kosher:

http://www.viennabeef.com/about/faq/#FAQ56

Of course. Nor are Ballpark and Hillshire Farm.

j r wrote:

George R wrote:

teatpuller wrote:they probably don't want anyone else to compete with their ballpark and hillshire farms brands.

Vienna Beef lives!

Vienna Beef products are *NOT* Kosher:

http://www.viennabeef.com/about/faq/#FAQ56

Forgive my ignorance of the Jewish religion, ( I grew up Catholic, and as in good catholic tradition I had to give something up for lent…..So I gave up religion ) but couldn’t the dogs be blessed by a Rabbi to make them kosher or is it also linked to the way the dogs are made?

MikeW665 wrote:Forgive my ignorance of the Jewish religion, ( I grew up Catholic, and as in good catholic tradition I had to give something up for lent…..So I gave up religion ) but couldn’t the dogs be blessed by a Rabbi to make them kosher or is it also linked to the way the dogs are made?

Yes, ingredients, processing method and other elements are all part of Kosher certification. Even though Vienna products are all beef, there are probably other aspects of their process (I seem to remember something about casings a few months back) that render the product not Kosher. Or it may just be that they've never wanted to submit to rabbinical supervision. When you think about the tiny percentage of the market that actually keeps Kosher, it's hard to fault them for not bothering with Kosher certification.

I'm sure it was already mentioned above but we're lucky to have a great Kosher sausage company right here in Chicago: Romanian Sausage Company. They produce some excellent Kosher hotdogs and sausages (as well as many other products).

=R=

Romanian Kosher Sausage Co
7200 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60626
773 761-4141