Fullerton Beach food offerings

Two new places are open for the summer at Fullerton Avenue beach. The first is a hot dog cart with a prominent Vienna sign.



They have a short menu of hot dogs, polish, chips, soda and candy. I tried a dog yesterday and it's nothing special, skinless vienna wiener. The topping were fresh and it's an option if you don't want to walk a couple of blocks for food.

The second stand next to it is is what interested me.



There's a RUB BBQ stand there. I wasn't hungary enough to try it , but I'll be back. A quick look at their menu shows pulled pork, brisket and elotes, plus they serve beer. They share an enclosed seating area with the hot dog cart where you can sit and eat. There's no smoker (not did I expect one), but they do have a grill which I assume is used for heating things up.

Rub is the family that runs Rub BBQ on Lunt. See viewtopic.php?p=335912

I haven't been to Rub since they opened. A return visit is in order to see how they've evolved.

For attendees of Theater on the Lake that is right there at Fullerton, Rub BBQ Company is the on-site dining option. We had the pulled pork and pulled chicken sandwiches a few weeks ago. Sandwiches came with chips and there were 3 sauces for the meat. The pork was much better than the chicken, but neither was mind-blowing. I think the quality suffers by being held in crock pots. The license to sell beer is new -- they only had soft drinks when we dined.

I was under the impression that Phil Stefani ran all of the lake front concessions for the city.

Hi,

It is my understanding the Park District makes their own decisions on vendors in their parks.

Regards,

Stefani manages Castaways at North Avenue Beach and I think took over the Oak Street Beach Grill (or whatever it's called these days.) The folks from Broadway Cellars handle the food service at Foster Avenue Beach. At Montrose Beach, The Dock is operating and I don't think they are affiliated with any other bar/restaurant. Heartland Cafe has an outpost on the beach in Rogers Park. The concessionaire at Osterman (fka Holllywood) beach is new and is one with a liquor license.

Sadly, my knowledge base doesn't go south along the lakefront.

Just to clear things up, here's the deal:

Park Concessions management, which is a company operated by Levy Restaurants and an investment group, runs all of the park districts concession deals. The park district is involved, and operates the parks - but Park Concessions is the group that has been retained to operate/manage the various contracts on the lakefront.

Oak St. "Beachstro" was run by a family from Barrington for the past 12 years - but lost their contract this past year due to conflict with the many private events that were being held onsite, with large tents that occupied a large portion of the beach at times. The alderman refused to sign their tent permits last summer, they stomped their feet, and now they lost their contract. Levy Restaurants is now operating (internally, not as Park Concessions) Oak St. under the name "Oak Street Beach Food and Drink."

The theatre on the lake concessions contract recently changed hands to the Fullerton Beach Grill. Starting the July 4th weekend, we opened an outside seating area on the lake. We're serving food, wine, beer (Sangria coming soon). Rub BBQ Company is serving Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, Ribs, Our Signature BBQ Burger, Smoked Mikeska Sausages http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=19562&p=325596&hilit=mikeska#p325596 , and Grilled Sweet Corn with tarragon infused butter. Ribs, Pork, and Chicken are prepared at the restaurant and finished to order on site on a grill.

There is also a hot dog cart, serving classic Vienna dogs and polish with classic Chicago trimmings.

The waterfront beer garden is table service (with waitresses), and provides an amazing view of the Chicago skyline. Goose Island 312, Summertime, Corona, Budweiser (BL, BLL, etc.), and Gnarly Head wines are offered.

We're trying to offer something a little more low-key than North Ave beach or Oak st. Freshly prepared food served in a beautiful setting, with reasonable prices. The beer garden is situated in a nice grassy area, with a great cool breeze created by the small peninsula we're on. The tables have umbrellas for shade, and great music playing (at a reasonable volume level to accommodate pleasant conversation) all day.

Just to be forthright, I own Rub BBQ Company. I just wanted to clear up the chatter and answer a few questions/assumptions I saw on this thread. Hope to see you out there this summer!

That looks really idyllic. There isn't parking nearby, is there? And you don't mention the hours?

I've been thinking it would be lovely to stop somewhere on my way home from the loop and have dinner and a walk on the beach.

BBQ at Fullerton sounds good. Could not quite tell from the description upthread if there is a place further north with a more varied menu?

Hours....we are open 7 days a week from 11am to 10pm. And, up north in Rogers Park, Rub BBQ Company is open Tuesday through Saturday 11am-9pm, and Sunday noon-8pm.

We're also working on getting some live music down at Fullerton, it's going to continue to develop into what we ultimately envision it to be. We wanted something on the water for Chicagoans. No offense to Oak St. or North Ave, but they are normally regarded as tourist destinations that are too crowded/expensive, and no real experience is offered. We want to incorporate Chicago music, culture, and great food - and use the asset of the lakefront to benefit the City residents. We want Chicagoans to be proud of it.