Felony Frank's

Just received this e-mail from Felony Frank's, it appears they are finally going to open:

Felony Franks Grand Opening!!!

Felony Franks Logo You are cordially invited to attend the
Grand Opening of Felony Franks #1

Monday, July 13th at 11:00 a.m.

Corner of Western & Jackson in Chicago


U.S. Representative Danny Davis will assist Jim Andrews, Owner, with the ribbon cutting ceremony!

The celebration will serve Felony Franks, the Jumbo hot dog version served with French fries and coleslaw, or the Misdemeanor Wiener, a regular hot dog with French fries and coleslaw. The celebration will last throughout the afternoon.

Take the opportunity to view the Felony Franks daily menu, which includes items such as Burglar Beef, Pardon Polish, Paroled Pizza Puff and more. These items will be offered after the Grand Opening day.

So please spend the day with us on July 13, 2009 and visit Chicago's Most Wanted
Felony Frank & Misdemeanor Wiener Last Seen on the corner of Western & Jackson

For more information contact Jim Andrews at:
Daytime: 312-421-2500 or cell 708-473-9602

Food So Good It's Criminal!
Felony Franks
229 S. Western
Chicago, IL

Felony Frank's had its grand opening today. After announcing free wieners and Cokes for all visitors today (donations to the Rescue Foundation accepted), the line snaked around the block. I tried visiting twice with no hope of a quick line. That said, there were smiles all around and a nice tent for shade.

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The owner was interviewed in 'GN this morning and said the signature frank was, unusually, a 1/6 lb skinless all-beef dog with a garlic finish. I was interested to learn he's legally blind and finds rehabilitated felons the most respectful, thankful, and trustful people to have around the cash register.

I'll get a nosh report in on Wednesday.

Felony Frank's
http://felonyfranks.com/
229 S. Western Ave.

(thanks to Ursiform for the opening scoop last week)

My Bride, a friend and I stopped by at about 5:00 pm after all of the hubbub died down.

Ordered inside and mentioned that we would be eating outside in the tent and they brought it out to us. After sitting down the owner's wife struck up a conversation and called her husband, Jim, over to sit and talk a bit. Very nice guy! Has a genuine interest in providing jobs for people just out of the penal system and employs them at his paper company as well. Hoping the hot dog stand will take off as a chain and provide more jobs.

They had a great Opening Day. Gave away 2000 (maybe 1300) hot dogs between the ribbon cutting and 4:00 pm when they decided to call the giveaway over.

We ordered a Misdemeanor Wiener...
Considering this is their smaller dog it would be considered a jumbo at other places. 1/8 lb, Red Hot Chicago. Steamed just right (full of flavor) with the standard toppings.

The Pardon Polish...
Another Red Hot Chicago product. Asked which toppings and replied Maxwell Street Style and that is what I got. Baked instead of fried, worked well! As My Bride was to remind me that is wasn't as salty as a fried version would be. Good sausage but not quite Jim's.

The Probation Cheeseburger...
A thin patty cooked a little past ideal. Good char flavor with the salad (lettuce and tomato) served on the side. I'll go with a double next time.

The Burglar Beef...
Nice and tender beef with a nice and beefy au jus. They are using Turano buns now over the sliced Italian bread. Longer shelf life.

The Fries...
Fresh cut and come with every sandwich. Needed some more time in the fryer as there was some uncooked potato in the middle. Busy day!

After Jim heard that we had not ordered the signature Felony Frank he had one brought out to us. He mentioned that the 1/6 lb frank is made special with garlic and a bit of smoke flavor.

Very good! The bun had a hard time of keeping up with the dog and the toppings! He mentioned he had worked with a 1/5 lb frank and a larger bun. Even tried a longer frank but settled on the current arrangement.

A good place to stop on this busy street and not far from the expressway either.

Ordered inside and mentioned that we would be eating outside in the tent and they brought it out to us. After sitting down the owner's wife struck up a conversation and called her husband, Bob, over to sit and talk a bit. Very nice guy! Has a genuine interest in providing jobs for people just out of the penal system and employs them at his paper company as well. Hoping the hot dog stand will take off as a chain and provide more jobs

.

hi, i grabbed a 'felony frank' (the 1/6 Red Hot chicago dog) and some fries from here today. panther, if you met the owner, his name is jim andrews, not bob., at least according to all the articles posted on the wall. there has been some neighborhood controversy about the name of the place. it doesnt bother me at all, but i could have lived without seeing every menu item named something related to prison life. there was no longer any tent around, i guess just an opening day thing. the hot dog was better than average. a nice hint of garlic and a good beefiness. i've had the occasional Red Hot Chicago dog before, and this was definitely an improvement. the fries, alas, while dark, dark brown were soft. since i took my dog home to eat, i popped the fries in a hot oven for 10 minutes and they were better. still not crisp, but i was happy to note the skin on them and they did taste like potatoes. dont know if they started life frozen or fresh.

the best part of lunch was talking to an older woman about hot dogs while we waited for our orders . she knows her stuff, she raves about jimmy's and gene and judes. she mentioned a place called 'hymies' that used to be on the actual maxwell street. she thinks it closed in the 70's. i'm not familiar with it. a hot dog was 16 cents, fries not offered, and a coke was 9 cents. i forgot to ask when these prices were in effect. does anyone remember this place?? she said it was a single stand, owned by 4 brothers. justjoan

justjoan wrote:but i could have lived without seeing every menu item named something related to prison life.

Is it true that the menu items' names relate to prison life? From what I can tell, they relate to what one does to either get in or out of prison. If the names did actually evoke prison life, I'm not sure that the menu would remain G-rated, and may even kill your appetite . . .

jeez, aschie, you're so picky. ! jj

With a menu in my hand and a garlic belch on my breath, I can happily confirm that some names do evoke the in-prison experience, to wit:

Cell Mate Dog (double dog)
Chain Gang Chili Dog
Prison Poppers
Lockdown Chili Fries
Don't Drop the Soap Tamale (ok, I made that one up).

I thought the Felony Frank was excellent - fresh bun, 1/6 lb skinless all-beef dog from Red Hot Chicago steamed to juicy perfection with a buttery garlic finish and nicely grilled onions (my choice) on a fresh bun.

The fries were abominable, and yet not beyond promise. They tasted like fish, no doubt due to the inclusion of several flakes of scorched Fradulent Fish Sandwich (dedicated fry fryer, please!), and were soaking in lukewarm oil with not one bit of crispness. At the same time, they were skin-on, obviously hand-cut, and had a full potato (and fish) flavor.

A woman standing next to me said, with a huge smile, "I'm glad we finally got a RESTAURANT in this neighborhood." That's pushing it based on current observations (and I asked her if she had ever been to Moon's), but it is fast food with a heart. There is parking and a few shady picnic tables in the back. Pleasant enough opening week, but no signs of creativity other than the menu names, so I won't be going out of my way to return (though I'm sure I'll be there some auturmn evening when starving and forced off the Ike at Western by traffic).

Do they have the option to char your dog or flat grill it?

And what beef supplier are they using on the franks and polish?

Ghazi wrote:Do they have the option to char your dog or flat grill it?

And what beef supplier are they using on the franks and polish?

All signs say "all dogs from Red Hot Chicago, since 1893," as indicated in the post. I believe the Polish counts as well.

The menu boasts no formal char or split option, but they have a sizable griddle and seem open to requests so I can imagine they'd do it your way (if not crazy busy).

Santander wrote:
There is parking and a few shady picnic tables in the back. .

Hey, just because they were in prison it doesn't make them shady.

Santander wrote:... I was interested to learn he's legally blind and finds rehabilitated felons...

Hopefully he won't be robbed blind!

I wanted to grab a corned beef sandwich at Moon's yesterday, but was late and they were closed, so I went down to Felony F's. Got a Felony frank, which was OK, and an IB. The IB was on a roll, which I didn't care for, and was otherwise pretty bland. The fries that came with the dog were undercooked and I complained and they gave me some more fries, which were also undercooked. The guy taking the orders was not exactly the friendliest cashier I've ever met. They need to figure out how to cook fries, duh.

Hi,

You pulled the brass ring when you get network coverage for your new business.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

You pulled the brass ring when you get network coverage for your new business.

Regards,

The name is really a rather brilliant piece of marketing. I agree with justjoan and others that it's a little weird naming dishes after the prison experience*, but, jeez, the publicity got me to stop in (I was walking from Moon's to the Blue Line and it was there, so...).

The dog was fine, just fine, and so were the fries -- I must have hit them at just the right time, because they were crisp and potato-y -- so much so, I didn't even add salt, their flavor was so good on their own. I would not be surprised if this place is a little inconsistent.

* If they want to expand their menu they might consider the Beef Shank, the Jail Break-fast, the Tossed Salad, and the New Fish Sandwich...ho! I'm here all week!

A disturbing trend in restaurant naming?

On September 4, a retail restaurant license was issued for Alcatras, 6320 N. Lincoln.

Is it open? They've been working on that place forever.

And in other felony-slash-frank-related news:

"First there was Felony Franks, the controversial West Side hot dog stand staffed by ex-cons.
Now notoriously loudmouthed 1980s cocaine kingpin John Cappas has taken the encased-meat-served-by-a-criminal concept one step further.
Cappas doesn't just work at Johnny's Wee Nee Wagon in south suburban Markham: He owns it.
"I've got the best weenies in Chicago," said Cappas, who as a teenager controlled the cocaine trade on the Southwest Side, before his arrest and trial became national news....
The business, previously called Willie's Wee Nee Stand, has been on the 15900 block of Pulaski Road since 1955, and Cappas said he hopes to re-create with it the western-theme amusement arcades of his Oak Lawn youth.
Though the scrappy two-lot stand is decidedly smaller than the illegal empire he once controlled, and he expects to make less money than he did selling cars since his release from prison in 2003, Cappas said "feeding families is an honest business that I can take pride in...."
"I've told the local cops they can have all the free soda they want," he said."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 6743.story

PS. Interestingly, the anthropomorphized hot dog in front of the place appears to be squirting itself with KETCHUP....

This guy may be the all time master of marketing. Today, his business, and its bully alderman, are featured in the Wall Street Journal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1255387 ... opCarousel

YourPalWill wrote:This guy may be the all time master of marketing. Today, his business, and its bully alderman, are featured in the Wall Street Journal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1255387 ... opCarousel

WSJ wrote:By JULIE JARGON

love it.

YourPalWill wrote:This guy may be the all time master of marketing. Today, his business, and its bully alderman, are featured in the Wall Street Journal.

I see the bully priest has injected himself into the matter, also - Father Pfleger.

They looked like they were on lockdown the other day when I drove by. Are they still open?

Cogito wrote:They looked like they were on lockdown the other day when I drove by. Are they still open?

I believe their sign is periodically smashed to, you know, send a message.

I had the felony frank and the gyro today. Service was very nice and the fries were solid though the anemic gyro with a couple shreds of onions, and just hint of tzatziki on one pita for $7.50 was a little dissapointing.

I was the only customer at around 11 though there were a few others using the parking lot and one gentleman with some very reasonably priced sundries that you would have found at the old Maxwell Street.
Food was OK but at the price point it is the 501 c3 status that is the reason I occasionally visit.

According to WGN/9 and NBC/5 tonight, Felony Frank's is considering moving its recently shuttered business to Evanston. A meeting was held tonight between Felony Frank's owner and the residents of the city's 2nd ward to discuss the possibility. The ward boundaries are (very, very) roughly Emerson and Church on the north, Main on the south, Asbury on the east, and McCormick on the west.

I wish them nothing but the best, but how is it that this 2nd or 3rd tier hot dog stand is getting so much publicity? How did Felony Franks become such a household name?

stevez wrote:I wish them nothing but the best, but how is it that this 2nd or 3rd tier hot dog stand is getting so much publicity? How did Felony Franks become such a household name?

Look no further than the idiot alderman who insisted on not giving them permission to hang up a sign outside the stand when they were on Western. All that did was get them in the news and give them and the fact they employ ex-cons more publicity. It was a blessing in disguise I guess. Not sure many people would know or remember them if the fight between the owner and the alderman to put up that sign wasn't so well publicized. Because yeah the dogs are meh at best.

Serves one of the better hot dogs and burgers in the city, should be a nice addition and compliment to Evanstons hot dog and burger stands. I wish them luck.

Not surprisingly, Felony Frank's prospective move to Evanston is meeting resistance from the locals . . .

at ChicagoTribune.com, John P. Huston wrote:Felony Franks closed last month after three tumultuous and high-profile years on Chicago's West Side, where Andrews publicly battled with 2nd Ward Ald. Robert Fioretti. For a recent community meeting, he was in front of another 2nd Ward alderman — Evanston's Peter Braithwaite — and a group of concerned residents who said his restaurant's theme is offensive and detracts from his worthwhile mission.

If the crime-themed menu couldn't cut the mustard on Chicago's rough streets, where it also drew criticism, it's arguably a tougher sell in the more politically correct Evanston. Even the owner of a new coffee shop with roughly the same mission of employing at-risk youth — who praised Andrews' intentions — cautioned that his restaurant glamorizes criminal culture.

Debate over Felony Franks sizzles in Evanston

=R=

Not surprisingly, Evanstonians, like their Chicagoan neighbors, are a bunch of prisses.

Habibi wrote:Not surprisingly, Evanstonians, like their Chicagoan neighbors, are a bunch of prisses.

I'd have to agree. I'm stumped and trying to think about exactly what is so offensive about the name. I don't see anything wrong here. It's a catchy name and nothing more. Glamorizing felons? So giving jobs to ex cons is glamorizing them? Um, oookkkk. SMH.