OLD TOWN — The only role "fitness" plays in an Italian beef sandwich is whether it's fit to eat.
That's the message sent by the new Pop's Italian Beef & Sausage outlet in Old Town, which has strategically removed the word "fit" from the awning of the former My Fit Foods store as it renovates the store for an August opening.
The My Fit Foods awning at 157 W. North Ave. previously read, "Eat Fit. Live Fit." But the "fit" has now been blocked out, so it reads, "Eat. Live," a fitting motto for an Italian beef spot.
"Just having some fun before we open," said Jill Sullivan, who is opening the first North Side franchise of the south-suburban staple with her husband, Bill.
She said they "grew up in Palos and know the original Pop’s there very well. That’s why we’re so excited about bringing it to the North Side, and Old Town specifically," where they've lived for 20 years.
Pop's debuted in 1980 in Palos Heights and now has more than a dozen outlets in the south suburbs, as well as one within the city limits at 10337 S. Kedzie Ave.
Sullivan said they're "still on track for mid-August" to open, while "hoping earlier. [It] all depends on construction."
