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If you were around the Belmont and Clark epicenter yesterday with a hankering for sticky buns that couldn't be sated because Ann Sather was closed, fear not. 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney and his crew are in the process of moving the long-standing restaurant a few storefronts east.
In an article in today's Sun-Times, Alderman Tunney expressed confidence that Ann Sather's flagship restaurant will be open for business in its new location at 909 W. Belmont by Friday. Tunney recently sold the building that Ann Sather is vacating to Joseph Freed & Associates, which has plans on expanding the already bustling nightlife around the Belmont/Clark corridor.
It also shows that Tunney is adept at the Art of the Deal. Ann Sather's catering business and dinner service took a large hit because Tunney had to give up Ann Sather's liquor license when he was elected alderman. With the sale of Ann Sather's current location at 929 W. Belmont for $2.2 million, Tunney makes money, brings more economic development to his ward, and still gets to keep Ann Sather in business.
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I heard the old Ann Sather's space is going to Panera. Oh boy.
I'll bet that I am not in the minority in thinking that ever since Tom joined the Chicago machine, the quality of Ann Sather's has just tanked.
My Chrsitmas wish....that Tom would sell Ann Sather's to someone who cares about keeping such a classic Chicago institution great and developing the brand to be something better. He clearly has other priorities.
must you give up dinner service if you can't serve booze? this is why i've never tasted ann sather's. can't you just slap a 'family restaurant' label on it?
Alderman Tunney was on his cell phone making this deal when the cops pulled him over.
Maybe that's why he stormed to the local CPD station complaining like a big shot, er, I mean craybaby.
You don't have to give up dinner service, but the markup and profit margin on liquor for restaurants, even for a place like Ann Sather, would be considerable. Where Tunney feels the hit of not having a liquor license the most is in Ann Sather's catering operation, because he can't provide liquor.
Bryan: the "drop in quality" of Ann Sather has nothing to do with Tom Tunney being alderman or machine politics. His family was involved with running the restaurants long before he was elected. Much like an executive chef delegates his wishes and imparts his will to his kitchens, Tunney should be doing the same at Ann Sather without a drop-off in quality.
I've never been a big fan of Ann Sather; it's serviceable food, but I grew up in a part of the city where this sort of food was always plentiful, better prepared, and cheaper. It's possible that you're confusing Tunney's multiple obligations with the old adage "familiarity breeds contempt", but I would never speak for anyone other than myself.
Well I ate breakfast there not too long ago and it gave me diarrhea.
Yeah, and did you know this guy gets business from the city for things like catering parties? How about a little transparency into that. Reformer my ass. I'm sick of it and I'm sick of everything with this city. He's just one more cog in the machine, and he should step down now or else. I hope Panera runs him out of business and into a deficit on that 2.4 million he just pocketed.
vise - move please. thanks!
I am with vise77 about the fact that Tunney is just a machine hack. He will never, ever criticize the mayor...or anyone with power, for that matter.
He collects his huge alderman's salary every year while making a fortune at his restaurant. His qualifications for getting picked by the machine honchos to be alderman were well.....er.....NONE, other than his apparent assurance to the mayor's office and to developers that he would do whatever they wanted him do do.
Let's also not forget the point that Beachwood Reporter likes to continuously hammer home -- Tunney promised again and again when running for alderman that if he was elected he would sell Ann Sather to avoid conflicts of interest. Guess he just meant the building only, and 4 years after the fact.
He is from the South Side and he is Irish, so you know what that means. He's in bed with the Leperchaun King. Vote him out!
I don't like your tone either Matty!
If Tunney and the Leprechaun King are in bed who is pitching and who is catching?
I don't really want an answer.
That's what I want to know Irish Pirate. I think Daley is all machismo just because he's hiding something. He is not a good mayor and he is a horrible speaker and I'm sick of it. They're both Irish jerks if you ask me and I'm always right.
excuse me, am i reading the chicagoist or second city cop blog?
nice to be reminded why chicagoist is no longer one of the first sites i check out every day. don't see what good 'registering' has done here.
Well I can tell you Tunney has let down a lot of people and not very well liked.
He's a hack and dirty like the rest of them.
Sorry, been. I don't see the comparison.
Man, the people in Ann "Slather's" always seemed, well weird to me;up tight gay white conservative dudes,"earth conscience" granola birkenstocked Volvo driving families with five spoiled “baby on boards” running around the place like mini tornados, 200 pound unshaved lesbians looking all hard with chips on their shoulders ready to snap, pretentious Latin School Amnesty International teen activists drinking 50 cups of coffee while carrying on like they’re 50 instead of 13. All of the above united by trust funds.
Now the place don't even serve booze no more?
Son, what’s the point? Well I guess to keep the above types contained in one place.
Its only Tuesday, so yall stay cool
like how yall be cool a'ight?
Spook, that is one of the best descriptions of Ann Sathers that I've seen (no sarcasm).
Perhaps you should write for Zagat (yes sarcasm!).
Ward Up, we should do our Colum,
Navigating fine dinning, haute cuisine and the trendy scene from the bottom lenses of Iron City beer and Mike’s Malt liquor
chuck:
it only took about ten minutes for this thread to devolve into name-calling, (of tunney and daley and other commentors), homophobic comments, unfounded statements about the business, and the scatalogical.
generally i've come to expect a lot of hate, bitterness, name-calling and otherwise vile, unintelligent commenting here of late. that's one thing the -ist now has in common with the scc.
that and when you see commentors whose thing is to rail on about 'aldercreatures' or whatever the scc is terming aldermen and other elected officials these days, you recognize a similarity in, if not the exact words, the general nature of the comments. next thing you know, people here will be talking about 'honor roll students' getting shot by cops on the west side.