Results tagged “business”

Crain's reports that Kraft is in talks to sell its Maxwell House brand coffee to Sara Lee. This is part of Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld's ongoing efforts to raise enough capital to increase its bid to purchase confectioner Cadbury. That bid now stands at over $16 billion. Kraft has until November 9 to raise $9 billion in financing and make a formal offer for Cadbury to the British Takeover Panel. [Crain's]

Early this year Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea stirred up some controversy over how they produced single-cup coffee orders. To wit: the local coffee purveyor had begun to switch how they brewed single cup coffee for patrons, abandoning the drip coffee method for a more labor and time intensive brew in the $11,000 Clover machine. That system, which was deployed in all but the Monadnock store resulted in a pricier cup of coffee and a longer wait. Fast forward seven months and Intelligentsia is again making changes in their stores.

Last night the Tribune broke the story of Binny's Beverage Depot agreeing to buy Sam's Wine and Spirits for an undisclosed sum. We can't say that this wasn't unexpected. Our most recent visits to Sam's have been funereal, if not downright depressing. It also ends with a whimper the aggressive competition between the two big-box liquor wholesalers that was waged for almost six decades.

The Tribune is reporting that Binny's Beverage Depot has agreed to buy Sam's Wine and Spirits for an undisclosed sum. We'll have more on this tomorrow. [Chicago Breaking News]

Half Acre Beer Company's construction is nearing completion and with that comes some wonderful news for beer geeks everywhere. Gabriel Magliaro announced yesterday that Half Acre's long-planned retail store at their Lincoln Square brewery will open to the public October 5. In addition to whatever Magliaro and brewer Tommy Nicely are brewing at the moment, Half Acre will also have selections from other local breweries on hand, as well as spirits and liqueurs from Koval and North Shore distilleries. Magliaro even told us that Half Acre will be selling growlers. [Half Acre Twitter]

Wal-Mart certainly raised the stakes this week in its bid to open a second store in the city. But the results of the push-poll notwithstanding, setting up shop in Chatham may not be the slam dunk the Arkansas-based mega-retailer thinks it will be. That's because, as the city council was passing the buck on the Wal-Mart vote by sending it from the Rules Committee to the Finance Committee, committee chair Alderman Ed Burke (of the 14th Ward) told the Sun-Times that Wal-Mart would have to step up to the plate to play ball in Chicago.

It seems like the controversy over Wal-Mart's attempts to open a second store in Chicago won't go away. And it seems like the massive retailer is helping to fan the flames of contention. From the Chicagoist tipline: "I just got what I think was a 'push-poll' about building a Wal-Mart at 83rd & Stewart. Basically, it only asked one question (a true sign of a political push-poll) and was heavily weighted in language towards Wal-Mart and Mayor Daley. It was something similar to the following: 'Mayor Daley says that a Wal-Mart at 83rd & Stewart would bring 400+ jobs to the city and make fresh food available to the neighborhood; others believe jobs are not enough. Press 1 if you believe a Wal-Mart should be allowed to be built or Press 2 if you believe it should not." A quick check of the phone number the calls are originating from - and a check of that tipline inbox - indicated that quite a few Chicagoans got the same call, as well.

Walmart will be hosting a “Fresh Farmer’s Market” Saturday at the site of their proposed store in Chatham, at 83rd and Stewart. Press releases were sent to local news outlets, and the Tribune’s story on the market remained on their site’s front page all day yesterday. Could it be true? Could Walmart actually be getting involved with the community and promoting products grown here, rather than in China or Mexico? Or is this just another shot in the ongoing battle between Walmart and the City Council? (Ed. Note: A Sun-Times op-ed today weighs in favor of a Walmart in Chatham. — CS)

Is it only a matter of time before American pro athletes begin to look like NASCAR drivers, enveloped in countless sponsor logos? As the crap economy takes a bite out of team revenues, more and more are looking into alternate revenue streams. For the Chicago Bears, that means a new deal that will add sponsorship patches to the players' practice jerseys for Training Camp and the regular season.

An alderman who says one thing in private and something else in public? Considered us floored. Ald. Tom Tunney is the latest political figure to come under a bit of scrutiny over perception versus reality. To hear him talk about his proposal of shutting down vendors within a certain radius of Wrigley Field, it's all about safety. Last month, Tunney told the Trib, "It's a public safety issue. You can't walk to the park." Behind closed doors is another matter though.

Via tribune Wine writer Bill Daley: the Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has just designated a new wine viticultural area encompassing 29,914 square miles in four states, including Carroll, Jo Davies, Lee, Ogle, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties in northwest Illinois. Beginning July 22, any wineries within the Upper Mississippi River Valley Appellation — the nation's largest designated winemaking region — can use the designation on their labels, which gives consumers a sense of where the wine is from. More detailed information can be found here.

Remember the Roscoe's/Rosscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles kerfuffle from last year that had readers quoting lines from "Coming to America?" Looks like we're about to see it again, only with Superdawg in the role of plaintiff.

Now you won't have to travel all the way to Beverly for an Original Rainbow Cone. Owner Lynn Sapp told Crain's that they'll soon be sharing a ground-level retail space in the Page Brothers Building (177 N. State Street).

312 Dining Diva is reporting that the parents of Grocery Bistro (804 W. Washington) Chef Andre Christopher have staged a boycott of the West Loop restaurant in their van outside the restaurant this morning.

Rogers Park is one of the city's most ethnically diverse neighborhoods; organizing an "Alphabet of Nations" tour of its restaurants seems eminently feasible. From 4-8 p.m. Sunday, that's exactly what's going to happen.

Safely away from Chicago, Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney mentioned the team's desire to play a total of 50 night games, an increase over the current 30 allowed in an agreement between the club, the city and the local Wrigleyville residents. Speaking to the Marco Island (FL) Sunrise Rotary Club, Kenney explained, "Players like a routine," and that additional night games would relieve the players of playing day games after arriving from road trips in the early-morning hours. In 2009, the Cubs have just one game that falls into that category -- their home opener on April 12 following a night game in Milwaukee.

Sun-Times sports reporter Roman Modrowski wrote over at his Full Court Press blog yesterday about the Cubs opening a new sports bar inside the park at the start of the season. The bar, located at the Addison/Sheffield corner of the ballpark by the Harry Caray "I am Borg" statue, will be open year round, seat 491 patrons, managed by the fine folks behind Harry Caray's (who's Wrigleyville location at the former Hi-Tops space is kitty corner from the new bar), and not have a view of the field. Patrons holding tickets to Cubs games will be able to enter the park proper via a turnstyle in the bar.

Some think they're a key element of Wrigley's "ballpark in a neighborhood" charm. Others hold them in disdain for the way they turned a quirky fringe benefit of living near Wrigley into a business, making money hand-over-fist from a stolen product. Sure, the rooftops surrounding Wrigley Field now pay a fee to the Cubs. But they still howl over any proposed enhancements to the ballpark that might limit their sight lines even if it might improve the cash flow for the team that's actually paying the players' salaries.

The saga of Mr. Beef's recent misfortunes continues today as co-owner Joseph Zucchero testifies before Congress regarding his recent struggles with Midwest Bank, which holds the lien on the River North institution, has cut off Zucchero's line of credit, and threatens to foreclose on the restaurant. This despite Midwest Bank recently being the recipient of $85 million in TARP funds from the Treasury Department. From the Tribune's "Swamp" Washington Bureau blog

While the Big Three grasp for lifelines from Washington -- due in part because they missed the trend shift toward fuel efficient vehicles -- new car companies are on the rise to fill the void for those looking for a "green" ride. Perhaps the most high profile of them will soon be setting up shop in Chicago. Tesla Motors, known for its sporty electric cars with six-figure stickers, will open a showroom and service center this spring at 1053 W. Grand Ave. The dealership will be Tesla's first one outside of California.

One of the big happenings fine dining fans were looking toward was the opening of Charlie Trotter's planned restaurant in the Elysian Hotel downtown. Trotter said at the time of the announcement of his deal with the Elysian in 2006, "We're very choosy about who we get into bed with, to put it bluntly."

Could one of Chicago's most famous landmarks be getting a new wardrobe? The owners of the Sears Tower, which has soared over the city's skyline since 1973, have proposed a silver paint job for the iconic black tower. So why is silver suddenly the new black? Is the Sears Tower jealous of the attention the glimmering Trump Tower demands on account of the way it reflects the sun's rays?

As we've covered before, the big losers in the passage of HB 429 in 2007 were out-of-state retailers looking to sell their wines to customers in Illinois. A bill introduced last Friday by state Representative Julie Hamos (D - Evanston) could restore the rights of those retailers to do business in Illinois.

Foodie/urban explorer, carless advocate and eager drinker of bucket boy haterade Mike Doyle is beating on a bucket of his own over at Gapers Block's Drive-Thru blog regarding Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea's decision to replace drip coffee in their retail locations with more intensive brews extracted from $11,000 Clover machines. "(A) sub-$3 cup of coffee is now a thing of the past at Intelligentsia," Doyle writes. From there, Doyle launches into overdrive, wondering if all the changes Intelligentsia has implemented in its retail locations in recent months is a case of a company putting the cart before the horse, especially in our current banana republic of an economy.

As promised, Chicagoist checked out the 2009 Chicago Auto Show over the weekend. And as suspected, the show was a smaller event than in recent years. While most auto makers still had their wares on the show floor -- Porsche was the noticeable exception -- the brands clearly scaled back their displays in both decor and in terms of the numbers of cars on the floor. This was especially evident for the larger brands, who used to feature a number of their most popular models for attendees to check out in all the various trim levels. In booth after booth this year, however, just one of each model beckoned people to check it out.

Winter is generally a down time for restaurant business; our current banana republic economy isn't helping matters. That, and the range of options for diners wanting to have a night out on the town, is the impetus for the second annual Chicago Restaurant Week February 20-27. Sponsored by the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, 130 restaurants — from the 5-star Zagat rated concepts to off the beaten path diners — will offer 3-course prix fixe lunches for $22 and $32 prix fixe dinners.

After today’s sold-out matinee, “Wicked” will close after its 3-1/2 year run and 1,500 performances. The show has been seen by more than 2.9 million people here in Chicago, and has earned more than $210 million in box office revenue.

Following a search that has taken almost two years, the Cubs may finally have their new owners. The Tribune Co. selected the bid from the Ricketts family as their favored bid yesterday. It's by no means a done deal, however, as the Ricketts will have to secure financing and pass hurdles with MLB and other team owners. But hopes are to have the deal closed by Opening Day.

Pabst, reacting to the success of "Schlitz Original recipe" and the continuing solid sales of PBR, announced that Old Style is returning to its original kräusening recipe to compete with "premium" brands. That is, if you consider Bud, Miller and Coors to be "premium."

Coinciding with the start of 2007 baseball season began, Sam Zell purchased the Tribune Co. and announced that he was putting the Cubs up for sale to help pay down the company's debt. Two full seasons later, the team remains part of his now bankrupt media empire. But this seemingly endless process of determining the winning bidder may be over soon. From an initial pool of at least 10 interested parties, the Cubs have asked three bidders to polish up their bids as the team decides which to accept. The three finalists are: Tom Ricketts, Marc Utay and Hersch Klaff.