BEVERLY — Buona Beef plans to hand out 2,500 free sandwiches Sunday at the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The Berwyn-based chain will open its first Chicago restaurant March 22 at 10659 S. Western Avenue in Beverly, said Joe Buonavolanto III, director of training for Buona Beef.
To promote its 17th restaurant, the chain will give hungry parade-goers free sandwiches beginning at noon. The sandwiches will be made and distributed from a trailer in the parking lot of the soon-to-open restaurant, Buonavolanto said Tuesday.
He also encouraged those stopping by to take a selfie in front of the restaurant for a chance to win free beef for a year. This promotion asks would-be customers to snap a picture of themselves in front of signs posted outside of Buona Beef's Beverly location.
The pictures must be posted on Buona Beef's Facebook page, Instagram or Twitter using #BuonaBeef and @BuonaBeef through March 17. One hundred hungry customers will be chosen from the entries for a chance to win free beef sandwiches for a year.
The Buonavolanto family, founders of the chain, plan to open five new restaurants per year over the next five years, further extending the chain's reach into Chicago as well as adding to its base of "fast-casual" restaurants in the suburbs. While best known for its Italian beef sandwich, the chain also offers handmade pizzas, salads, paninis and event catering.
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