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Mr. Beef

Coordinates: 41°53′40″N 87°38′14″W / 41.89446°N 87.63736°W / 41.89446; -87.63736
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mr. Beef
A large white sign with the words "Mr. Beef" and a Coca-Cola logo hangs over a sidewalk. The building of the restaurant is brick with a glass window in the front.
Mr. Beef from street level, as of September 2022.
Map
Restaurant information
Established1979 (1979)
Previous owner(s)Joe Zucchero
Food typeItalian beef
Street address666 N Orleans St
CityChicago
StateIllinois
Postal/ZIP Code60654
CountryUSA

Mr. Beef is an Italian beef restaurant located in River North, Chicago, United States.[1][2][3][4]

Information

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The restaurant was founded by Joe Zucchero and originally started out as a stand in 1979.[1] The restaurant features Italian beef sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries and pizza puffs.[5][6] The restaurant survived financial troubles in 2009.[7]

The restaurant is most notable for being the inspiration and the storefront[8] for the television series The Bear, which is about an Italian beef restaurant in Chicago.[9] Christopher Storer, the producer of the show, cites Chris Zucchero, Joe Zucchero's son, as a friend.[9] The television series more than doubled business at the store, as they went from selling 300 sandwiches a day to over 800.[10] The owner of Mr. Beef, Joe Zucchero, died on March 1, 2023,[11] though the restaurant stayed open after his passing.[1][12][13]

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Along with being featured on The Bear, the restaurant was featured on Food Wars, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno[14][15] and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Slevarn, Ashok (2023), The Founder of Mr. Beef, the Legendary Chicago Italian Beef Stand, Has Died, web: Eater Chicago, archived from the original on March 13, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
  2. ^ Fierro, Iridian (2022), Mr. Beef co-owner Chris Zucchero on how popularity of Italian Beef has skyrocketed due to Hulu series ‘The Bear’, web: Eater Chicago, archived from the original on March 7, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
  3. ^ Roadfood, publisher: Broadway Books, published: 2005
  4. ^ Top 10 Chicago, publisher: DK Publishing, published: 2014
  5. ^ 500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late, publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, published: 2009
  6. ^ "Mr. Beef on Orleans". Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Save Mr. Beef!, web: Huffington Post, 2017, archived from the original on March 7, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
  8. ^ Simon, Scott (2022), How Chicago came to love the Italian beef sandwich, web: NPR, archived from the original on November 14, 2022, retrieved March 13, 2023
  9. ^ a b Gordinier, Jeff (2022), A Conversation with the Guy Who Created The Bear, web: Esquire, archived from the original on March 15, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
  10. ^ "Demand for Italian Beef Is Booming. Thank 'The Bear.'". Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  11. ^ "Joseph Zucchero Obituary | Mar 1, 2023 | Park Ridge, IL". Cooney Funeral Home. Retrieved September 20, 2024. Joseph Zachary Zucchero passed away unexpectedly on March 1, 2023 at the age of 69. [...] Joseph was born on February 21, 1954.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Joe Zucchero, longtime owner of Mr. Beef, dies at 69, web: CBS Chicago, March 6, 2023, archived from the original on March 8, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023, Joseph Zucchero, founder of the famous Mr. Beef Italian beef stand in River North, has died. Cooney Funeral Home said Zucchero passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday [March 1] of last week. He was 69.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  13. ^ "Founder of Chicago's iconic Mr. Beef dies at 69". FOX 32 Chicago. March 6, 2023. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  14. ^ Bank Hogties Chicago's Mr. Beef, a Leno Favorite, web: CBS News, 2009, archived from the original on March 7, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
  15. ^ Gentile, Jay (2016), How the Italian Beef Became the Iconic Sloppy Sandwich of Chicago, web: Thrillist, archived from the original on March 14, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023
  16. ^ Riley, Marcus (2013), Jimmy Fallon “Freaked Out” By Mr. Beef, web: NBC Chicago, archived from the original on March 7, 2023, retrieved March 13, 2023

41°53′40″N 87°38′14″W / 41.89446°N 87.63736°W / 41.89446; -87.63736