Ribbon cut for new Mr. Beef location at Chicago's Midway International Airport
Have you ever had a beef with a flight?
You soon may at Midway International Airport, and it won't be something to complain about. This is about beef in the literal sense — specifically Italian beef from Mr. Beef, which has now opened a location at the Southwest Side airport.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday cut the ribbon the new Mr. Beef at Midway, along with the Chicago Department of Aviation, SSP America, and Midway Partnership. The new Mr. Beef opened near Gate B14. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
"Mr. Beef is a Chicago institution, and I'm proud to welcome that local flavor to our Southwest Side airport," Mayor Johnson said in a news release. "This opening brings an authentic taste of Chicago's rich food culture to travelers from all over the world while investing in a small, local business that has been feeding our city for nearly five decades."
Brothers-in-law Carl Bonavolanto and Tony Ozzauto first opened Mr. Beef in 1963. Joe Zucchero took over in 1979, and built Mr. Beef, at 666 N. Orleans St. in River North, into a Chicago icon.
Mr. Beef has more recently become the inspiration for the acclaimed FX television series "The Bear," starring Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto — a young chef with ambitions at an Italian beef stand. Chris Zucchero told Eater.com his father, who died in 2023, visited the set for the show — even while fighting cancer.
The new Mr. Beef at Midway is the latest in new concession developments at the airport lately. The revamped Central Market in the fall of 2023 between concourses A and B, with local brands such as Reilly's Daughter.
Meanwhile, Illinois state Rep. Rick Ryan (D-Evergreen Park) has introduced legislation to designate the Italian beef sandwich as the official state sandwich. So far, it has passed committee and is heading to the Illinois House floor.
