Anyone know if Fajita Grill on Foster just west of Ashland has closed? Driving by last night around 7pm it was completely dark.

Apparently Hughey's on Balmoral between Clark and Ashland has closed. Damn. My favorite local burger/hot dog place. Anybody know what happened?

trpt2345 wrote:Apparently Hughey's on Balmoral between Clark and Ashland has closed. Damn. My favorite local burger/hot dog place. Anybody know what happened?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Huey's news is indeed awful for me. Not because it was that great (just OK in my book) but because it was a regular on outings I had with my 8-year old friend. It's been "our place." He and I have a kid's theatre subscription together and we also go to most of the kids movies that open together and we always went to Huey's before for lunch because he good get a veggie dog (he's a vegetarian) and beat me at foosball. Anyone have any ideas for a replacement? Somewhere that serves veggie dogs and veggie burgers and that has foosball or another table game at which he could continue to kick my ass?

Hellodali wrote:The Huey's news is indeed awful for me. Not because it was that great (just OK in my book)

Huey's had it coming. I base this remark on the following:

1. There was no justification nor explanation for their constant and severe price increases. Nobody wants to pay $5.50 for a regular hot dog. Hot Doug's manages to keep the price point at $1.75. They used to have pretty good $5 combo meals. Then they were $6; a few months later, $7. This was after the gas prices had started to come down. I asked one time what the deal was on the price increase, and was told by a person who I'd always thought of as the owner: the price increase is due to the city raising the sales tax. Well, that was nonsense. The sales tax went up 1%, and Huey's went up 20%.

2. That same woman who seemed in charge also seemed like a p.r disaster. One time I was eating outside on the picnic tables, and she came racing outside to yell at someone just walking past. Her rant consisted of the accusation: DID YOU CALL THE CITY ON ME! I KNOW IT WAS YOU!. Not the best way to act in front of customers.

I am sad Huey's went the way of all flesh-grillers. I used to really dig their char-cheddar burger, the special on Fridays. I would laugh to myself at the pinheads instead heading into Hamburger Mary for a worse burger at twice the price. But then Huey's got full of hubris and was nearly the same price. It was one of the last places, along with Taste of Lebanon, to get a quick cheap bite on that now puerile and pretentious strip of Clark street that once was as diverse and delicious as Kedzie and Lawrence. Let this be a lesson to you, hot dog stand owners of Chicago: just because your neighborhood went totally upscale doesn't mean people wanna be skinned when they come in to buy an encased meat.

p.s as for a replacement nearby, A.J's on Berwyn/Broadway has a footlong grilled Vienna Beef Polish, with fries and a coke for $5. No foosball though.

ucjames wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:In with the new...

Klay Oven Restaurant
734 Lake St.
Oak Park
(708) 386-3999

Advance notice of their opening.
Threads on the Downtown location.

We had a hankering for some New Years fare and drove by and noticed the new restaurant. It was not open at the time but upon passing by later in the day it was. No body inside eating that we could see.

Looks good!

Ahh, finally some confirmation, thanks! I had bumped into Jim August's daughter over the summer and she had mentioned that it would be an Indian restaurant moving into that location. So much time had passed without any further info that I was wondering if the deal had fallen through somehow or if I was just losing my mind

Happened to be driving by and grabbed a pic and a menu.



While it was about 5:30 on a Friday night the place was deserted. Unless you think that Khyber Pass or Jerusalem Cafe is the best, other options in Oak Park I would hope that this place would get a little Love.

Menu can be viewed here.

trpt2345 wrote:Apparently Hughey's on Balmoral between Clark and Ashland has closed. Damn. My favorite local burger/hot dog place. Anybody know what happened?

Huey's is not permanently closed, at least for now. The dreaded green sign is on the door. There are notes in the windows saying that they need to repair a faulty drainage pipe in the basement. I have no idea how much work is involved in that. I would've taken a picture except a couple of people were inside and I didn't want to cause a fuss.

Marco wrote:

Hellodali wrote:The Huey's news is indeed awful for me. Not because it was that great (just OK in my book)

Huey's had it coming. I base this remark on the following:

1. There was no justification nor explanation for their constant and severe price increases. Nobody wants to pay $5.50 for a regular hot dog. Hot Doug's manages to keep the price point at $1.75. They used to have pretty good $5 combo meals. Then they were $6; a few months later, $7. This was after the gas prices had started to come down. I asked one time what the deal was on the price increase, and was told by a person who I'd always thought of as the owner: the price increase is due to the city raising the sales tax. Well, that was nonsense. The sales tax went up 1%, and Huey's went up 20%.

Never been there, but just to clarify your price-tax comparison, the sales tax went up 1 percentage point, which amounted to about an 11% increase. That said, I thought businesses didn't have to pay sales tax on their raw materials.

However, real estate taxes have gone through the roof in Andersonville.

chgoeditor wrote:

Marco wrote:

Hellodali wrote:The Huey's news is indeed awful for me. Not because it was that great (just OK in my book)

Huey's had it coming. I base this remark on the following:

1. There was no justification nor explanation for their constant and severe price increases. Nobody wants to pay $5.50 for a regular hot dog. Hot Doug's manages to keep the price point at $1.75. They used to have pretty good $5 combo meals. Then they were $6; a few months later, $7. This was after the gas prices had started to come down. I asked one time what the deal was on the price increase, and was told by a person who I'd always thought of as the owner: the price increase is due to the city raising the sales tax. Well, that was nonsense. The sales tax went up 1%, and Huey's went up 20%.

Never been there, but just to clarify your price-tax comparison, the sales tax went up 1 percentage point, which amounted to about an 11% increase. That said, I thought businesses didn't have to pay sales tax on their raw materials.

Can you explain how a 1% increase amounts to an 11% increase? The total sales tax to the consumer is less than 11%. You cannot claim that a 20% increase in price is due to sales tax.

Furthermore, I am paying about 60 cents *retail* for packaged vienna beef dogs. What's a hot dog stand paying for their raw materials, 20 cents a dog? Huey's was overpriced to the point of offending me.

In the space formerly occupied by...

Something's Brewing
Something's Brewing (new owners)
Head's Up! Coffee house



Located at 906 S Oak Park Ave in Oak Park has been going through some renovations as of late. I stopped by today to ask what was coming in and one of the contractors mentions that it will be a Brazilian place. Not serving steaks but more hot snack items like Empanadas.

Sounds like a great addition to the area! Stay tuned...

Panther in the Den wrote:In the space formerly occupied by...

Something's Brewing
Something's Brewing (new owners)
Head's Up! Coffee house



Located at 906 S Oak Park Ave in Oak Park has been going through some renovations as of late. I stopped by today to ask what was coming in and one of the contractors mentions that it will be a Brazilian place. Not serving steaks but more hot snack items like Empanadas.

Sounds like a great addition to the area! Stay tuned...

Seeing as that is 2 blocks from my home, and I am a frequent visitor to the neighboring Oak Park Bakery, I will be there week 1 for anything that is not another coffee shop. Especially anything that is not a coffee shop with cashiers/baristas/whatever they would like to be called that can barely look away from their textbooks, and never make eye contact throughout an entire transaction.

Marco wrote:Can you explain how a 1% increase amounts to an 11% increase?

Sure.

The tax rate rose from about 9% to about 10%. That's a change of 1 percentage point. To figure out the percentage change, you subtract the new rate (10) from the old rate (9) and then take the result (1) and divide it by the original rate (9). 1/9= approximately an 11% change.

I think this may be confusing because we're talking about the percentage change of percentages. Imagine we were talking about prices. Something that cost $9 yesterday costs $10 today. The price increased by $1, but on a percentage basis it increased by 11%.

chgoeditor wrote:Imagine we were talking about prices. Something that cost $9 yesterday costs $10 today. The price increased by $1, but on a percentage basis it increased by 11%.

No, this analogy is flawed because the tax is still only a percentage of the total sale. If the tax rate goes up 1% (say, from 9% to 10%), that means that the tax on $100 of sales goes from $9 to $10. While the increase in the tax portion of the sale does go up by approximately 11%, the increase in the total price of the goods being sold does not. It rises from $109 to $110, which is actually an increase of just over 1% (1.009)

So, if a vendor wishes to pass a 1% tax increase on to a customer in order to preserve his or her margin, they don't need to raise the price of what they're selling by 11%. They only need to cover the actual increase in the tax rate, not the percentage of the tax increase. The actual increase to the vendor in this case would be about $1 for every $100 sold. In round numbers that's 1%. Raising prices any further than that to cover the increase is unnecessary.

=R=

But the math doesn't matter in this case. Clearly, they were simply using the tax increase as an excuse for an unusually high price increase.

nr706 wrote:But the math doesn't matter in this case. Clearly, they were simply using the tax increase as an excuse for an unusually high price increase.

Exactly -- or at least, that's how it seems. It appears to have been an opportunistic move, which can often have adverse effects, especially when selling a non-essential good that can be purchased in a multitude of other, nearby venues at a lower price.

=R=

raising prices due to sales tax increases is a non-starter. doesn't make sense.

retailers simply change the rate their registers charge for tax. a $1 cup of coffee that rang up at $1.09 now rings up at $1.10. the extra penny covers the sales tax increase.

restaurants don't pay sales tax on products they purchase for resale (only non-sale items like bleach and plastic wrap are subject to sales tax). therefore, the sales tax increase doesn't have any affect whatsoever. blaming a price increase on a sales tax increase is an outright lie.

elakin wrote:raising prices due to sales tax increases is a non-starter. doesn't make sense.

retailers simply change the rate their registers charge for tax. a $1 cup of coffee that rang up at $1.09 now rings up at $1.10. the extra penny covers the sales tax increase.

restaurants don't pay sales tax on products they purchase for resale (only non-sale items like bleach and plastic wrap are subject to sales tax). therefore, the sales tax increase doesn't have any affect whatsoever. blaming a price increase on a sales tax increase is an outright lie.

So a few more points and questions on this issue, primarily with regard to Huey's practices.

1. The prices on their menu were always stated as "tax included". Even the combo meals. At first I thought this was nice. Chicago has an outrageous amount of tax for things like grabbing a hot dog and a coke. In NYC, there is no sales tax at all for items under $100. So it annoys me that Mayor Daley gets 10% any time I want a purchased drink. And that he can make up taxes and get them passed whenever does not seem to be entirely democratic and so forth. But that is a separate matter.

2. Now, when Huey's raised their daily special combo from $5, then to $6, and rapidly afterwards to $7, I specifically asked the owner how come, and she said, quite specifically: that is 100% due to the city tax increase. Even if the *real* price of the 3 item combo was let's say $5.50, and she had folded in the 9% tax in the $6 charge, then the actual tax increase cost on that meal was about a nickel. But she raised it a dollar and tried to tell me that was 100% the city tax. The fries went up from $1.50 to $2, and again, she told me: because we pay your tax. And it felt like she did not invent this excuse on the spot for me, but had decided to tell customers this story if they questioned the price increase.

Now, are places allowed to "include" taxes in the ringup charge, without itemizing it? Certainly they should not be using that strategy to deceive on their prices increases. But this woman seemed to have a hate on the city. And using them to misrepresent the truth.

3. People will make the arguement that in hard times it is a good idea for small indepedent places to raise their prices. Just the contrary, I would think. A person thinking twice about getting takeout from Reza's will bring his business to Huey's---provided you don't stick him with a $6 hot dog. You make more profit on increased volume due to people down-sizing their dinner options. Not ripping off your core customers on items obviously cheaper elsewhere. And I was a core customer despite a surly owner.

4. Last question. Ever notice how many of the lower-end taco places have nearly identical prices? And that when they go up, they go up in concert. Not so with hot dog stands, or pizza delivery. Not even so much with asian takeout, though that used to be the case. Had Huey's just stuck with the general trend I'd bear no animosity. They were charging more for a hot dog than inside Wrigley or Sox Park.

elakin wrote:restaurants don't pay sales tax on products they purchase for resale (only non-sale items like bleach and plastic wrap are subject to sales tax). therefore, the sales tax increase doesn't have any affect whatsoever. blaming a price increase on a sales tax increase is an outright lie.

So then they do have an increase on some portion of their purchases. It may not be the bulk of their purchases, but their prices go up. And it is possible that the price of the food they purchase at wholesale went up because of price increases for that manufacturer, etc. It may not justify the large increases this business is charging, but I suspect it is a factor.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

chgoeditor wrote:Imagine we were talking about prices. Something that cost $9 yesterday costs $10 today. The price increased by $1, but on a percentage basis it increased by 11%.

No, this analogy is flawed because the tax is still only a percentage of the total sale. If the tax rate goes up 1% (say, from 9% to 10%), that means that the tax on $100 of sales goes from $9 to $10. While the increase in the tax portion of the sale does go up by approximately 11%, the increase in the total price of the goods being sold does not. It rises from $109 to $110, which is actually an increase of just over 1% (1.009)

So, if a vendor wishes to pass a 1% tax increase on to a customer in order to preserve his or her margin, they don't need to raise the price of what they're selling by 11%. They only need to cover the actual increase in the tax rate, not the percentage of the tax increase. The actual increase to the vendor in this case would be about $1 for every $100 sold. In round numbers that's 1%. Raising prices any further than that to cover the increase is unnecessary.

=R=

Ronnie, you're absolutely correct, and I shouldn't have used a $$ example. I thought the confusion was stemming from the concept of "percentage of a percent," so I was trying to use an example that didn't use percentages. Using a money example was probably the worst idea! And you're absolutely correct that our most recent tax increase only increases the total cost to the consumer by about 1%.

To gently steer this thread back to the topic, my Customary Dining Companion reported this afternoon that the Orange on Harrison in the Printers Row area is closed. No report on the other locations, though - this one was in his 'hood.

Updates as events warrant.

I drove by the intersection of Augusta and California last night (around 8:30pm) and there were lights on, people working in there, and Rootstock (old cosmo's politan or cosmopolitan) has put up signs! It's a'commin people!

I noticed an awning on Elston just north of Webster for Goddess and The Grocer. Is this a new location or are they moving from the Damen or Gold Coast location?

This location is new-the Cru space is closing and that is becoming a Feast restaurant in the Gold Coast. We are getting a Goddess and Grocer up North. Yay!

sundevilpeg wrote:To gently steer this thread back to the topic, my Customary Dining Companion reported this afternoon that the Orange on Harrison in the Printers Row area is closed. No report on the other locations, though - this one was in his 'hood.

Updates as events warrant.

I am not surprised. I have always found both locations to be concept-only locations with nothing to ever bring me back.

are places allowed to "include" taxes in the ringup charge, without itemizing it?

i believe an itemized receipt is required by law, but i'm not positive.

I alway thought it was just booze from bars that could include it in prices?

forzagto wrote:I noticed an awning on Elston just north of Webster for Goddess and The Grocer. Is this a new location or are they moving from the Damen or Gold Coast location?

I can't imagine it'd be anything but a catering kitchen in that location. There's no foot traffic there to support a retail store.

My wife reports that Huey's is open for business, thankfully. At $5, $6, or $7, Huey's remains a much-loved option for my little family in the neighborhood.

Huey's Hot Dogs
1507 W Balmoral Avenue
Chicago, IL 60640

LynnB wrote:Anyone know if Fajita Grill on Foster just west of Ashland has closed? Driving by last night around 7pm it was completely dark.

It is definitely closed. Walked by today and saw a sign on the door saying "Sorry - our door's closed bussiness. Thank you."