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Berwyn Chicken Co. [was: Big Guy's Sausage]

Berwyn Chicken Co. [was: Big Guy's Sausage]
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  • Post #151 - June 27th, 2018, 3:08 pm
    Post #151 - June 27th, 2018, 3:08 pm Post #151 - June 27th, 2018, 3:08 pm
    Maybe they'll bring back the IB. Had it a couple times there and it was damn good.
    "I Like Food, Food Tastes Good" - The Descendants
  • Post #152 - June 27th, 2018, 9:03 pm
    Post #152 - June 27th, 2018, 9:03 pm Post #152 - June 27th, 2018, 9:03 pm
    Remembering when The Depot American Diner would decline an order because the turkey was not finished roasting.


    Ironically, wasn't able to get a turkey club at Big Guy's the other day because they were out of their house-made bacon!
  • Post #153 - July 14th, 2018, 12:34 pm
    Post #153 - July 14th, 2018, 12:34 pm Post #153 - July 14th, 2018, 12:34 pm
    New menu

    BA42A744-3308-4FA8-87F6-45A4CCBCBC02.jpeg
    2B26E428-01B9-45FE-A7AC-E9890858AD6F.jpeg
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #154 - August 8th, 2018, 5:14 pm
    Post #154 - August 8th, 2018, 5:14 pm Post #154 - August 8th, 2018, 5:14 pm
    New on the menu, their own recipe 9” hotdog. Also shown is their traditional Vienna.

    144B4DD6-635B-4F07-B605-2C32439C854F.jpeg

    Pretty good dog, available steamed or grilled and I’d bet they would throw it in the microwave if you wanted.

    Good beefy flavor with a touch of smokiness. All in all just fine. The sport peppers are the perfect pepper you would imagine.

    Keep an eye out for the buy 2 get 1 free offers.

    Saw Brendan across the street last week at Jewel and congratulated him on the new menu. He mentioned that he was surprised that a $13 deluxe sandwich or plate would be much more popular than a bargain $3 sausage sandwich. Go figure. :) 1/2 lb corned beef sammie was the special today.
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #155 - August 26th, 2019, 10:33 am
    Post #155 - August 26th, 2019, 10:33 am Post #155 - August 26th, 2019, 10:33 am
    Big Guys Turkey Club, and an order of BG fries.
    This caused my wife and sister to sit at a table silent for about 15 minutes straight.
    You have no idea. NONE.
    Complete silence except for munching.
    You have no idea.

    The Big Guys turkey club is still the best one on this planet.
    We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.
    Pronoun: That fool over there
    Identifies as: A human that doesn't need to "identify as" something to try to somehow be interesting.
  • Post #156 - August 26th, 2019, 2:42 pm
    Post #156 - August 26th, 2019, 2:42 pm Post #156 - August 26th, 2019, 2:42 pm
    Funny Big Guys bumped as I have it on my mind.

    I had the chance yesterday to eat someplace fun and junky, but I decided to fight the urge. I fought successfully until I happened across Big Guys on Instagram. Turns out they had some kind of Sunday supper with beef tenderloin, lamb sausage, shrimps, a lamb chop, grilled vegetables, pita, potatoes, aioli, tzdicki, and maybe something else. I said F stay at home, and I high tailed to Big Guys.

    It was a bit weird that there was no sign or other indication of the special, like they did not want to sell it, but I unloaded my Instagram and said, "give me that." I sat at the counter and about 10 min later, two bags were presented to me. Maybe it's to do go, in fact one of the things that attracted me was the chance I'd get more than one meal. Still, I live far enough from Big Guys that I had not planned on taking it home. It kinda annoyed me that I was not offered the chance to eat in; I mean it's not like the place does not have eat-in space. There was no fork, no napkins to facilitate eating. Feeling rather not wanted, I decided to leave. I also decided to peek in my supper before leaving.

    Good thing I checked. No tenderloin. No shrimps. I had to go up to the counter. They dropped some more meat in my box with the same hospitality they had been showing all night. And nary an apology. Granted, I was made whole. Yet, what if I had not checked.

    Here's the kicker, what really gets my goat. I wrote a little note to them on social media. I congratulated them on successful social media; I mentioned I really liked the supper (especially the lamb chop). I also told the story of the missing food and the missing apology. It was a private note just the way these guys always ask--they say don't go to yelp, tell us, and they say, do it in private. 24 hours later, no reply. Again, it's not like I did not get what I paid $12 for. It just left me all a bit uppity. The fact that they don't seem to care has me even more grrr-face.
    Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.
  • Post #157 - August 27th, 2019, 4:59 pm
    Post #157 - August 27th, 2019, 4:59 pm Post #157 - August 27th, 2019, 4:59 pm
    They're now closed Tuesdays, maybe that's why?
  • Post #158 - August 27th, 2019, 5:02 pm
    Post #158 - August 27th, 2019, 5:02 pm Post #158 - August 27th, 2019, 5:02 pm
    Vitesse98 wrote:They're now closed Tuesdays, maybe that's why?

    Because you’re grumpy? :)

    A while ago it was mentioned they were thinking about closing on Wednesday’s too. :(
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #159 - October 9th, 2019, 2:42 pm
    Post #159 - October 9th, 2019, 2:42 pm Post #159 - October 9th, 2019, 2:42 pm
    Panther in the Den wrote:
    Vitesse98 wrote:They're now closed Tuesdays, maybe that's why?

    Because you’re grumpy? :)

    A while ago it was mentioned they were thinking about closing on Wednesday’s too. :(

    Stopped by today cardboard sign, now closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, website doesn't say Wednesdays.
    "I drink to make other people more interesting."
    Ernest Hemingway
  • Post #160 - October 10th, 2019, 9:50 pm
    Post #160 - October 10th, 2019, 9:50 pm Post #160 - October 10th, 2019, 9:50 pm
    Just saw this. Posted 3 hours ago so say around 8:00 pm, October 10th.

    ACB9F181-A52B-4C75-A636-67D0235247EC.jpeg


    There’s a lot going on here...

    Training new staff
    Repairs
    Time off
    New chef
    Exciting news coming up?

    Reconceptualizing?

    They have pulled back on their original concept of Specialty Sausages. :(

    Their oft specials have been great!

    Turkey dinners
    Shrimp Poorboys
    Stromboli
    Ham Sandwich
    Great hotdogs and hamburgers

    I wonder what their plans are?
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #161 - October 27th, 2019, 3:53 am
    Post #161 - October 27th, 2019, 3:53 am Post #161 - October 27th, 2019, 3:53 am
    Panther in the Den wrote:Just saw this. Posted 3 hours ago so say around 8:00 pm, October 10th.

    The attachment ACB9F181-A52B-4C75-A636-67D0235247EC.jpeg is no longer available


    There’s a lot going on here...

    Training new staff
    Repairs
    Time off
    New chef
    Exciting news coming up?

    They quietly reopened Saturday, October 26th.

    F4E955A5-FDB1-4DAE-AA4D-53E0AFCC2FB5.jpeg
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #162 - January 23rd, 2020, 8:42 pm
    Post #162 - January 23rd, 2020, 8:42 pm Post #162 - January 23rd, 2020, 8:42 pm
    Recent conversation about “The Freddy”, a sausage patty sandwich, BGs has their Stromboli for a special this weekend (and maybe longer).
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #163 - January 25th, 2020, 3:36 pm
    Post #163 - January 25th, 2020, 3:36 pm Post #163 - January 25th, 2020, 3:36 pm
    Panther in the Den wrote:Recent conversation about “The Freddy”, a sausage patty sandwich, BGs has their Stromboli for a special this weekend (and maybe longer).

    Big Guys Stromboli 2020

    They did switch up the sandwich for this specials outing...

    When asked about the difference they mentioned “It’s Lighter”.

    Sausage Patty
    Arugula
    Whipped Ricotta (x2)
    Parmesan
    Marinara
    French Bread

    9B4A9C69-D0B4-410E-BF74-555463506012.jpeg The Stromboli 2020

    It was different! Lighter as mentioned.

    I’m not sure the Marinara was the same as Brendan’s neckbone gravy, still delicious but not as much depth.

    Chicken Pierre was great as always although the staff kept correcting me and referring to it as Chicken Tenders as if they were trying to push Pierre into history. I haven’t seen him in a while.

    E3A606E9-2F71-4933-BB10-584D1347092A.jpeg Chicken Pierre (Tenders)
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat
  • Post #164 - September 24th, 2020, 1:50 pm
    Post #164 - September 24th, 2020, 1:50 pm Post #164 - September 24th, 2020, 1:50 pm
    Trying not to be a bigger guy than is necessary, it had been a while since I'd been to Big Guys. But the news via Fitzgerald's cookout series that the buffalo chicken sausage was back for a limited time, plus the b2g1 sausage deal on Wednesdays, proved to be the nudge I needed.

    The buffalo chicken sausage was even better than I remembered. Cooked perfectly with a nice snap, garnished with slivers of carrot and celery and bleu cheese dressing. If this sounds good to you, you owe it to yourself to go before it's retired again.

    I love a fully dragged Chicago dog but rarely get one here since they switched to a jumbo dog, which I recalled not liking very much. I sprung for one yesterday and received instead a double dog with two standard skinless links. Ok but nothing special and your $5.50 is better spent on almost anything else on the menu here. I'd love to see Big Guys do a proper 6:1 Vienna natural casing dog on a Mary-Anne bun (Rosen's is right down the street!).

    The sleeper hit was their "individual" Cobb salad, new since I was there last. Supremely fresh and quite generous (easily equivalent to a large Malnati's salad) with their own roasted turkey and ham. Dressing and bleu nicely packed on the side. Can't imagine not getting one of these every time I go.

    A great meal and I resolve to go more frequently.
  • Post #165 - December 31st, 2020, 3:27 pm
    Post #165 - December 31st, 2020, 3:27 pm Post #165 - December 31st, 2020, 3:27 pm
    Posting this here as well because any place this great and transparent deserves a helping hand when times get tough:

    Friends,
    Welp, 2020 is ending, but so is Big Guys’ luck regarding this damn pandemic.
    The health and safety of our staff and customers is the most important thing in the world to us. Last night we had an employee test positive for COVID 19, we then closed early and this morning we had all staff receive rapid tests where another staff member also tested positive. So with those results we are following guidelines and closing for at least the next week to help everyone isolate or recover to prevent further transmission and to conduct deep cleaning of our establishment.
    We are working with the Cook County Department of Public Health as well as the Berwyn Health District to ensure that our decisions are consistent with best practices. I will provide updates here if the situation changes.
    I regret to say we are unable to serve our New Years Eve Dinner since myself and my staff are now all officially in quarantine. If you reserved a dinner our manager will be calling you today to issue a refund.
    This isn’t our first scare. I have already paid many employees beyond their banked sick days to quarantine after self reporting exposure. I initiated this policy because I wanted to alleviate any moral hazard for employees and encourage them to err on the side of caution. I believe this has been effective as we have gone 10 months without a single employee contracting the virus, and only one (new) employee testing positive for antibodies today.
    However those instances were on an individual basis, this is an entire staff losing a week of pay. I really really don’t want that to happen but in addition to paying out supplemental sick time just the act of closing for a week suddenly like this will cost Big Guys tens of thousands of dollars.
    If you can it would really help if you bought a gift card. We will reopen as soon as it is safe and you can use that card up, but we really can not afford a full stop to our revenue, not after this year.
    Order gift cards here:
    https://bigguyssausage.com/gift-card/
    Thank you for your support. Here’s to a much, much, much better, safer and healthier 2021 to all.
    Your pal,
    Brendan
  • Post #166 - December 31st, 2020, 3:41 pm
    Post #166 - December 31st, 2020, 3:41 pm Post #166 - December 31st, 2020, 3:41 pm
    Thanks for posting, Vitesse98. I recently had the fabulous turkey reuben from Big Guy's. I don't get there very often, but love their food when I do go.

    Image
    -Mary
  • Post #167 - January 2nd, 2021, 12:03 pm
    Post #167 - January 2nd, 2021, 12:03 pm Post #167 - January 2nd, 2021, 12:03 pm
    Please post when they are back open if anyone knows. By the way Brendan is running for mayor of Berwyn.
    Toria

    "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - As You Like It,
    W. Shakespeare
  • Post #168 - January 6th, 2021, 10:30 am
    Post #168 - January 6th, 2021, 10:30 am Post #168 - January 6th, 2021, 10:30 am
    We are back open after closing for a week. The support we received definitely helped us financially but so often in this industry with tight margins, looming expenses and unexpected obstacles one sometimes questions why anyone would want to be in this business. Well I love this industry, I love my staff, and I love being a part of this community. I love bringing families together to the dinner table, I love cheering people up with a hot cup of soup, I love the look on peoples face when they bite into their first Big Guy Burger. I love my customers and apparently our customers love us.
    Thank you everyone and see you soon!
  • Post #169 - February 18th, 2022, 1:01 pm
    Post #169 - February 18th, 2022, 1:01 pm Post #169 - February 18th, 2022, 1:01 pm
    I had a gift card that I bought in support of Big Guy's at the end of 2020 per the post a few above. We were heading to Forest Park to drop off Girl Scout cookies at my brother's and decided to treat him (and us!) to lunch. Chicken and sausage gumbo for me, grilled shrimp po boy for Mr. X, Maxell Street polish for my brother, onion rings and fries to share. I added the optional shrimp for the gumbo and appreciated that they were packed separately as not to overcook. The gumbo was top notch. We liked the po boy but felt it needed something -- maybe a spicier sauce? My brother devoured the polish so I imagine it was good. :lol: The fries were a touch overdone and weren't warm. It took us longer to get there so I don't blame them for that. The onion rings were okay -- really greasy and somewhat over-breaded. We also got a quart of chili for later in the week and it was delicious. I hope people are still supporting Big Guy's. They are putting out good food.
    -Mary
  • Post #170 - June 21st, 2022, 5:01 am
    Post #170 - June 21st, 2022, 5:01 am Post #170 - June 21st, 2022, 5:01 am
    Things sound pretty desperate over there. They've got a new Go Fund Me up with all the dire details:

    https://www.gofundme.com/f/36gs5-big-sa ... big-pickle
  • Post #171 - September 16th, 2022, 11:26 am
    Post #171 - September 16th, 2022, 11:26 am Post #171 - September 16th, 2022, 11:26 am
    Vitesse98 wrote:Things sound pretty desperate over there. They've got a new Go Fund Me up with all the dire details:

    https://www.gofundme.com/f/36gs5-big-sa ... big-pickle


    This campaign wasn’t quite enough for current conditions, and they will close restaurant operations 9/24 but continue catering. Best wishes to Brendan and fam.

    https://m.facebook.com/100064276376311/
  • Post #172 - September 16th, 2022, 3:25 pm
    Post #172 - September 16th, 2022, 3:25 pm Post #172 - September 16th, 2022, 3:25 pm
    Aw. Hopefully Brendan et al. successfully pivot. I can't wait to get whatever one-offs he has in store. At the least, since I'm the only one in my family that likes Thanksgiving food enough to have it more than once a year, hopefully they do indeed come through with the annual platter.
  • Post #173 - September 19th, 2022, 7:43 am
    Post #173 - September 19th, 2022, 7:43 am Post #173 - September 19th, 2022, 7:43 am
    “It’s not just one thing,” Brendan O’Connor, the owner of Berwyn’s Big Guys Sausage Stand, said just before checking with a staff member to see whether another employee had shown up. “If it was, we’d overcome that.”

    https://chicago.suntimes.com/metro-stat ... estaurants
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #174 - June 30th, 2023, 9:37 am
    Post #174 - June 30th, 2023, 9:37 am Post #174 - June 30th, 2023, 9:37 am
    Big Guy's has reconcepted is now Berwyn Chicken Co. I've not been. If anyone has, maybe a new thread can be started?

    https://www.berwynchicken.com/
    -Mary
  • Post #175 - July 9th, 2023, 10:00 am
    Post #175 - July 9th, 2023, 10:00 am Post #175 - July 9th, 2023, 10:00 am
    I have not tried it yet but its getting rave reviews.
    Toria

    "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - As You Like It,
    W. Shakespeare
  • Post #176 - February 22nd, 2024, 6:37 pm
    Post #176 - February 22nd, 2024, 6:37 pm Post #176 - February 22nd, 2024, 6:37 pm
    Big Guys [styled with no apostrophe] catering continues under that name though the physical shop is re-open as Berwyn Chicken Co., and really, it's the exact same footprint, owner, and setup. Feeling to me like nothing's changed but the menu, I'm going to start Chicken-era comments in the same thread for now and see where it takes us.

    Where Big Guy's was more of a Big and Little's and occasionally a Hot Doug's, Berwyn Chicken Co. is much more of a Troha's*, unapologetically so, in this case with a laser focus on bird, shrimp, sauces, and slaw. I am personally not much of a traditional fried chicken fan, and I don't enjoy tater tots (their opening spud, but now they have good fries, though not house-cut), so I've only taken out there a few times since the changeover, and had a more reserved respect; it's not them, it's me.

    However, this week they've introduced - in a way that I hope becomes permanent - a plate-sized Nashville hot chicken sandwich that is presented in a giant cake box with abundant fries, excellent pickles, and complex sauce (both piquant and cooling, redolent of mustard and Old Bay). It is currently a well-pounded chicken breast, and was cooked very well and served up on their grilled brioche bun. It stacked up well with other local favorites Chubby's and Carnivore, and at $17 with tax could really be lunch for two folks. If they keep up with this and some other occasional post-catering specials like the soups and gumbos I will be even more of a happy neighbor.

    Image

    *(I wonder if we can talk Brendan into an old school pork tenderloin dinner box with lemon wedges since Troha's stopped doing theirs).

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