Emerging Brands

Jose Andres opens his 1st Chicago restaurant

The renowned D.C. chef is expanding his geographic footprint.
Jose Andres
Photograph courtesy of the National Museum of American History

Compass Group and Northwestern University Dining are partnering to bring new food concepts to Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine this fall. Anchoring the lineup is Beefsteak, the veggie-focused fast casual from renowned chef and humanitarian Jose Andres. Starbucks, Slice Pizzeria and Smart Market vending will join Beefsteak, along with a rotating roster of local restaurant popups managed by Compass brand Foodworks.

“We’re thrilled to work with brands like Beefsteak by chef Jose Andres, Foodworks, Slice and other partners to bring an innovative range of food choices to the medical school community,” said Heather Campbell, vice dean for finance and administration at the Feinberg School, in a statement. “Our goal was to provide high-quality, convenient and competitively priced dining options that accommodate a variety of dietary preferences.”

With its location in the busy Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, the medical school competes with many branded fast casuals and on-trend restaurants. 

Beefsteak’s menu focuses on plant-forward bowls that can be customized with flash-cooked vegetables, healthy grains, housemade sauces and top-quality proteins. This is the fast casual’s first outpost in Chicago, but Andres is planning to bring Jaleo, his high-end Spanish tapas restaurant, to the city in mid-2020. Construction is underway in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.

 

 

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners