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Sidewalk Ads for Umami Burger Upset Some, Impress Others in Wicker Park

By Alisa Hauser | September 17, 2014 5:41am
 Ads all over the sidewalks featuring the Umami Burger logo have upset some residents in Wicker Park.
Umami Burger Sidewalk Ad Campaign Upsets Some
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WICKER PARK —  Shoegazers on empty stomachs in Wicker Park, be forewarned: You might see a hamburger on the sidewalk.

Well, a logo of a hamburger, and in some cases, words to describe two burgers available at the soon-to-open Umami Burger, such as the "Manly" and "Truffle" burgers, which are stamped into the sidewalk along the 1500 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park.

Scheduled to open Thursday at 1480 N. Milwaukee Ave, the West Coast-burger chain has used a guerilla advertising campaign to put its logos all over the sidewalks, from the 1300 to 1600 blocks of North Milwaukee Avenue as well as the 1500 block of North Damen Avenue.

Alisa Hauser says a similar guerilla marketing campaign in New Orleans was also scorned by some in the community:

A spokeswoman for the restaurant said the ads were put up in the past week using "standard spray chalk. ... They should fade away quickly with rain, etc."

But Teddy Varndell, a Wicker Park resident, said he saw the Umami logo in front of Walgreens at 1600 N. Milwaukee Ave. on Sunday while walking with his wife.

"I was incensed. Who are these people? They are open for two days and they are spray-painting our sidewalk?" Varndell said.

Varndell called the ads "very presumptive and unneighborly."

At Flat Iron Pita Grill, a new eatery inside of the Flat Iron Arts Building at 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave, manager Jimmy Mitchell said he thought the ads were "cool."

"Anything that's different gets people's attention. I would do this for maybe hot dogs and items on my menu. If there was a permit for it we would do it," Mitchell said.

The city prohibits the distribution of "commercial advertising material" on the public right of way, including sidewalks, by means of "posting, sticking, stamping, tacking, painting or otherwise fixing."

It is unclear whether chalk, which can eventually be washed away, is covered by the rule. A city lawyer told about the advertisements did not immediately respond to questions about whether they could be considered a violation of the code.

Leah Root, president of the Wicker Park Committee, said she noticed the ads on the sidewalk on Saturday while walking near The Standard, a bar and grill at 1332 N. Milwaukee Ave.

"It surprised me that a for-profit company can do it. It rubbed me in the wrong way. I feel like when people put ads up it's in front of their store, but this was all over the neighborhood. Is everyone going to be doing this?" Root said.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Umami Burger announced on Twitter that it would be giving away free burgers to the first 124 people in its door.

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