Friday, February 1, 2013

Panozzo's "Raising the Bar" in 2013

Panozzo's Italian Market (1303 S. Michigan) is no doubt one of our favorite places in the neighborhood.  While the secret has been out for awhile, a reader recently thought some changes were made:
Any idea if Panozzo's is under new management? I was in the other day, and I didn't recognize anyone working there (whereas usually it is the same friendly faces each time). New menu, disconnected phone line, and web site down. Sort of confused!

Don't fret South Loop!  We sent a quick note to Mike Panozzo and he quickly let us know that most everything listed above is incorrect (except for some new menu items):
Lots of misinformation here. Not sure why he said phone lines and web site are down. I call the store multiple times each day, and I'm looking at the web site right now. 
As for personnel, there has been some turnover, as there is in any business this size. Additionally, we usually hire culinary school grads and people who really know and love food. Not surprisingly, they are sharp and ambitious kids. We understand they won't be around forever. That said, a number of people at the store...David, Patrick, Danielle...have been around several years. 
The menu is, indeed, new. We are raising the bar in 2013. We're paring down the menu a bit and focusing on what we do best...which is the food we make in house. AS you know, our chef, John Asbaty, who has been here since Day 1, is immensely talented. We want to focus on him and make virtually everything from the bread to the condiments in house. 
Whatever is not actually made in our kitchen will be sourced only from local, responsible farms and producers, like LaQuercia, Creminelli, Gunthorp and Slagel. We're upping the ante on all of the sandwiches. We will also be focusing on made-to-order salads. We've always tried to be special, and we're challenging ourselves even more to be the best we can be. We want the South Loop to be home to one of Chicago's best markets. 
There will be other changes. We want to add more seating, and keep our retail offerings small but very select. And that doesn't necessarily mean higher prices. (Some of our sandwiches are actually less expensive than their previous incarnations.) 
The management hasn't changed at all. John, myself, my wife Ellen and Tony Gierczyk are still the owners. Tim Ziegler, who replaced Darin Lattimer as manager, has done a GREAT job helping us narrow our focus to what we do best.

So there you have it, Panozzo's is not going anywhere!

Now we can all sleep at night...

(Hat tip: TJ & MP!)

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

A woman was murdered in the south loop this morning while driving on lake shore near McCormick place. The killer is at large. Is this "neighborhood blog" going to write about it? Or are we gonna get another post about Arcadia instead?

Anonymous said...

These anonymous posters are the worst. Go read the Trib for that news.

FitGuy said...

Yeah I love fatty deli meats said no healthy person ever.

Hate all you want, If you eat this fatguy slop then you are not living a healthy lifestyle

goto whole food and buy veggies and sautee them, try broiling some fish.

STOP BEING FAT AND SLOBBY

Anonymous said...

FitGuy, what do you get out of this?

FitGuy said...

The satisfaction of helping people live happier and healthier lives, friend.

I just cant sit back and watch people pig out on fatty sloppy foods and not do something about it.

I find that the slobbiest, fattest people get the most upset with me.

Anonymous said...

FitTroll is just projecting his fear of inadequacy onto members of this blog said his therapist. I hear some manorexia going on, anybody else?

Must suck to be stuck in the glory days of being the third string high school quarterback.

Regards,
Everybody who has a life and does not have an eating disorder.

P.S. I live a healthy lifestyle and i love panozzos. I just dont eat there every week because I lack the self discipline to hold myself to getting a salad there (even though they are delicious.) Keep up the good work, guys!

Jim in the Sloop said...

Sloopin: I love this blog and read it every day, but must say that if something can't be done about these endless, annoying, self-indulgent, off-topic posts I'm gonna need to leave.

Now TO THE TOPIC AT HAND. I do try to eat healthy, but an occasional Panozzo's fix is on my list. My one disappointment over recent matters is that at one time I'd heard that they'd love to expand into the a'Capella space, I'm sorry that this won't be happening.

Fitguy said...

^^ Like I said, the sloppiest pigs are the ones who get the most upset with me.

Don't hate me because I am fit and you are fat. A healthy lifestyle ( as you put is) does not consist of going to italian deli's. If you werent so busy raging on me about high school nonsense and started getting in shape and DOING something with yourself maybe you wouldnt lead such an unhealthy and angry life.

I feel bad for you bruh, but it doesnt have to be this way....make a change, I can help you. Come to FFC and ask for Brad. You can do this.... stop being fat and ugly.

BRENDAN said...

Jim in the south loop---

What off topic posts? The post is about Pannozzos...r u refering to the comment section? Because to most people the "crazy comments" are what this blog is all about...not the posts. This is at least what I have been told.

P.s.-- Panozzos ready-to-boil pasta is extremely fresh and tasty!

Anonymous said...

Was just in Panozzo's last weekend. New menu looks great! Really wish we could have a place like this on Dearborn.

Anonymous said...

Better yet, order a porchetta crescentine from Panozzo's and have it delivered to Brad at FFC.

Anonymous said...

FitGuy

Wow you are a personal trainer. You really made it in life. HA I would come see you, but i already have one and it isnt at FFC.

Im not angry about being fat. In fact im not fat, I played football at Princeton for 4 years, then i got a job working in Investment Banking, and still work out regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, who are YOU to project your distorted beliefs of fitness and health onto anybody else. Your "fatty bashing" mantra is similar to hating on gay people, black people, etc. Do you have any idea how stupid you look?

Seriously, you sound like Dwight Goodman from Dodgeball.

You piss me off because you sit here and bash local business development and hide behind a name on a blog. So when outside investors/potential businesses read this stuff by you, they run to other neighborhoods as everybody on this blog HATES on everything that happens in the neighborhood.

So keep living in denial, Dwight...i mean Brad. Sooner or later it will catch up with you. Hopefully while you are walking along a bridge so you decide to jump off.

MarkChicago said...

@FitGuy. bro, do you even lift?

Every restaurant can't be a salad shop. And Whole Foods = liquid dumps.

Anonymous said...

When somebody gets shot on the I-55 on-ramp it's not really a neigborhood story. Police are saying it was probably gang related. So most likely a gang hit.

Fitguy said...

anon @ 101

Not really sure what the purpose of alerting all of us to your "glory days" at Princeton Football does.....also did I ask what you do for a living?

I dont really care what you think bro-ham. LIKE.I.SAID.--- the sloppiest of pigs are the ones that squeal at me the most. Why get mad at me for telling you alternatives to your otherwise gluttonous eating habits. Lay off the deli meats and no one cares about your days cleaning the lockerooms at Princeton. ( Penn St)

Anonymous said...

Just got off of the phone with FFC corporate offices to inform them of Brad's demeanor. They said that they do not condone this sort of conduct and will look into it.

Surprise! Your life just go ruined bruh.

Anonymous said...

Whole foods = whole paycheck. Only suckers shop there.

BRENDAN said...

only "suckers" shop at whole foods???



just keeps gettin better and better

Anonymous said...

Self-righteousness.

Anonymous said...

So does you employer know that you have such a low opinion of their customers?

Anonymous said...

Get a screen shot. Comments can be deleted.

Michael said...

I have been going to Panozzo's since it opened and think it's one of the best businesses in the Sloop. Glad to see them evolving. Amazingly I have not become a fat slob, even at my advanced age. Sorry to dissapoint you Brad. And by the way, if trainers at FFC are that disdainful of their clients then I would never consider joining. There are plenty of of other options in the neighbprhood. And more opening every day.

MarkChicago said...

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3stgf7/

Anonymous said...

Brad,

U mad bro? Sounds like it.

Regards,
anon @ 1:01

P.S. Let me know if you know how to shine shoes, since you will probably be looking for a job very soon.

P.P.S. -- Got a whole slew of screen shots and already emailed them to my contact at FFC.

Anonymous said...

Really, you think FFC management will mind that Brad publicly refers to his customers as sloppy fat pigs? Oh yeah, I guess they will.

Anonymous said...

This is a great neighborhood business that does not deserve to be trashed by holier-than-thou douchebags like you who have never set foot in the place and do not even live in the neighborhood. Do you want the neighborhood to support FFC? Good luck with that.

Anonymous said...

Stop hating on Brad. I mean, the dude is from Podunk Ohio and doesn't really know any better. Gotta wonder though if FFC checks their employees for steroids. Because, you know, roid rage.

Trey Anastasio said...

I bet Fitguy's name is Chad.

Anonymous said...

Wait...certainly you've realized that FitGuy is a joke by now, right? Clearly, it's just some random person adopting the fitness-crazed character to get a rise out of others on this blog. Go ahead and send your screenshots, but I doubt "Brad" is an employee at FFC or any other club. I'm pretty sure "Brad" spends a lot of time sitting on his couch with his laptop, laughing at how easy it is to anger people on this website.

Anonymous said...

Hey FitGuy, i saw on another thread here that you are rather fat and used to be called "Bloomer the Boomer"

Is this true?

FitGuy said...

anon @ 6:26

You are the first smart "anon" on this blog.

Its just too easy

Anonymous said...

FitGuy did it for the lulz.

Anonymous said...

Interesting, because there is in fact a personal trainer at FFC named Brad. So FitGuy is just pretending to be him?

Anonymous said...

Well. Wow. Saw this post about my favorite neighborhood sandwich shop. Saw it had 33 comments and thought 'Whoa, a lively discussion about food and small business...I'll check it out. I did and, instead of that discussion, found this closed head injury circle jerk instead. Hope y'all enjoyed 'creating' it. Sloopin'...maybe time to capitilize the M in moderation.

Christine said...

Has anyone else tried the new menu at Panozzo's? We did a couple weeks ago and were SO disappointed. This has been really upsetting. Our "paninis" had pretty good flavor/taste but we found them to be big mushy messes. Really hoping they will still offer or accommodate requests for their old sandwichs...

Anonymous said...

I wish they could blow through the wall and take the A Cappella space.