BEVERLY — Rather than cut a ribbon, Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) and John Buonavolanto cut a giant sandwich Monday to mark the opening of Buona Beef in Beverly.
The Berwyn-based chain will open its 17th restaurant to the public at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 10659 S. Western Ave. is the first location within the city for Buona Beef.
"We were looking for a neighborhood Chicago location," said Joe Buonavolanto, Jr., who runs the business with his father, four brothers and nine of their children. The Buonavolanto family founded Buona Beef in 1981.
The new restaurant is five years in the making and represents a $4 million investment in the community on the Far Southwest Side, according to O'Shea.
"We wanted a family-owned business because that's what we are," said O'Shea of the restaurant with room for 110 guests along with 28 parking spaces and drive-through service.
The restaurant will be open daily from 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m, said Dominic Fallara, Buona Beef's director of administrative development.
He added that the Beverly restaurant represents the latest concept for the chain, featuring communal tables with charging stations for cell phones and free WiFi. The restaurant also has several televisions tuned to live sporting events.
"We want to reach a younger clientele and individuals. This is what they are looking for," Fallara said Monday.
The Beverly unveiling kicks off a five-year expansion for Buona Beef. The chain expects to open about five new restaurants annually during this stretch. First on the list are suburban locations in Algonquin, Frankfort and Flossmoor, Buonavolanto said.
The city restaurants will follow, opening as early as 2017. Locations on the Near West Side, South Loop, Lincoln Park and Wicker Park are all being scouted, he said.
Here's a few more fun facts about Buona Beef's debut in Beverly:
• 500 pounds - The amount of beef the chain anticipates selling Tuesday in Beverly.
• Maggiore Beef - The biggest, baddest sandwich on the menu, measuring 10 inches with the choice of hot giardinera or sweet bell peppers.
• 736 Calories - The Maggiore Beef is no small meal. In fact, you'll have to run for an hour at a 10-minute-per-mile pace to burn off this giant sandwich.
• 7-inch Buona Beef - the most popular item on Buona Beef's menu.
• Beef-and-sausage combo - the second-most popular item on the menu.
• Hand-tossed pizza - an often overlooked item on the menu. These pizzas are made from scratch and cooked to order in just five minutes.
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