Just what this city needs ...

By Erin in Food on May 6, 2005 7:45PM

... another store selling chocolate!

Ethel's Chocolate Lounge, owned by Masterfoods USA, which in turn is owned by Mars, the people who brought you The Best Candy Bar Ever, the Snickers Bar,
is moving in July to the concierge desk at the entryway of the mall at 520 N. Michigan. In addition to chocolate, they'll be featuring a menu that includes wine and hot cocoa.

Now, we know nothing about Ethel's, other than they have a location in Evanston, and, according to the Sun-Times, will open a lounge this week at 819 W. Armitage, but we know that we're a little creeped out by their market research.

To wit: "The chocolate lounge concept stems from the company's research that showed 'women really wanted a place to enjoy chocolate, and sit there and linger,' the spokeswoman said.

It's not that Chicagoist has anything against chocolate, or the ladies who apparently like to linger over their chocolate on plush couches in public settings. That's fine. But Chicagoist would like to know who these women are, the ones who clamored for a chocolate haven all of their very own. Chicagoist also is hard pressed to find a woman who couldn't just as easily enjoy chocolate in her living room -- we had no clue there were so many who wanted a designated place to do so.

Ethel's isn't the only new chocolate game in town, not even at 520 N. Michigan Ave.! In March, Andersson's Chocolates opened across from the Lego store at the Westfield Northbridge Shopping Center. Look for Hershey's Chicago to open its doors in June.