|
Family's food Stack's up, Chicago style
By Chad D. Lerch
At Stack's Chicago-style eatery in Grand Haven, grilled onions, hot peppers and relish are the norm.
Breath mints are optional.
A Grand Haven family has spent the past five months building the small eatery into a popular gathering spot where they serve Italian sausage, meatball sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs.
Stack's, 1050 Jackson, is owned by Jerry and Joanne Stack and their daughters, Jackie Nix and Jennifer Vargo.
Working with family is the way to go, Vargo said.
"We don't like working for other people," Vargo said. "With family, you can just be more honest -- and because we know each other so well, we understand where we're all coming from."
Almost everyone in the family has experience working in the food-service industry -- and they all love food.
Jerry Stack is a Chicago native who grew up eating spicy Italian sausage and dogs on the Windy City's south side. Joanne is the daughter of the late Grand Haven businessman Ray Harz, founder of Ray's Drive-In, a longtime burger joint on Beacon Boulevard.
The family was looking for an opportunity to open a restaurant together so they could follow the success of Ray's Drive-In.
Their dream came true when they opened Stack's in August.
"All four of us were kind of in a transitional time and had always kicked this around," Nix said. "It finally just became the right time when all four of us were able to do it."
The family completed an extensive renovation to the building's interior before the grand opening. They tore down an interior wall, installed new kitchen appliances and tiled the dining room floor.
Vargo said they wanted to make the business feel like a downtown Chicago eatery with a classic look, including a checkerboard floor, black-and-white artwork and a television mounted on the wall.
Getting the business up and running was no small task, but the owners say it was worth the effort.
"We've all worked in restaurants and everybody knows how to cook, but as far as setting up the restaurant and opening, it was hard work," Nix said. "But we did it. We pulled it off."
Vargo agreed.
"We felt confident that we could do this because our whole family has been involved in some way," she said.
The restaurant has seating for 10 guests; Vargo said the eatery also does a solid carryout and catering business. She said lunch is the eatery's busiest meal of the day; they also have dinner hours.
Vargo said she grew up loving Chicago-style food. All of Stack's meats come from Chicago and the owners pride themselves on serving Turano bread and poppy-seed buns for their dogs.
"We had family in Chicago and when we'd visit, we'd always go out to eat," she said. "Now, we're able to bring that to Grand Haven."
Vargo said the restaurant's location at the intersection of Jackson and Ferry streets was perfect for a start-up business.
She said traffic flow is brisk and it's just a few blocks from a residential neighborhood. She said most of the eatery's regulars are Grand Haven residents. If the business grows, they'll look for a bigger location at some point.
"We get a lot of skeptics from Chicago, too, who come in and say, 'OK, you say you can do Chicago-style food, show us what you got,"' Vargo said.
"We pass the test."
Lerch, Chad. "Family's food Stack's up, Chicago style."
Muskegon Chronicle
30 Decemeber 2006
I can't believe I'm still eating hot dogs
Recently I took a road trip with colleague and fellow professional eater John Serba to Grand Haven, where we polished off more dogs than any human being should consume in a single day.
Gruesome details? Oh yes, there are gruesome details.
Stack's Chicago Style Eats
1050 Washington St., Grand Haven
Eaten: A Chicago Style Hot Dog, an all-beef dog on a poppy seed bun, topped with mustard, onion, relish, tomato chunks, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers and celery salt.
Observations: Stack's, obscurely located near a Home Depot, came enthusiastically recommended by reader Mark Pruiksma.
Based on my visit, I agree. The Chicago-style approach -- what with the poppy seed bun, peppers and crunchy pickle spear -- somewhat contradicts my preferred method of hot dog consumption, which calls for a pile of chili, a pile of cheese, a pile of napkins and a shower. But who knows, maybe by the end of this experiment (dear God, when will it end?), I'll be a convert. Stack's makes a terrific dog. |
