On a stretch of Lincoln Avenue in one of the typical historic storefront buildings found around Lincoln Square hides one of Chicago's best—and perhaps smallest—coffee houses. Regulars might wish that the secret doesn't get out, but it seems that it's too late. Only open since July 2004, The Grind has already become an institution in Lincoln Square. On an average weekend, people line up out the door, hover expectantly over the desirable seats in the café. The free Wi-Fi service attracts writers, bloggers, students and businesspeople alike. (All the café asks is that you make a purchase before you log in.) Perhaps one of the reasons why The Grind is such a success story is because it fits in so well with the neighborhood. It has exactly the right balance of sophistication and down-to-earth friendliness that typifies Lincoln Square. And that is, no doubt, because The Grind is the brainchild of Lincoln Square neighbors.
If two heads are better than one, then four heads must be best—especially when they complement each other well. Co-owners of The Grind Jenny Ackerman, Christian Staudinger, Susan Okimoto and Bob Ackerman all put their talents to work to run the business. The idea for The Grind came from pure serendipity. Christian and Jenny were moving back to Chicago from Boston, where Jenny had been a teacher. They wanted to live in Andersonville, the last neighborhood where they lived in Chicago, but their realtor kept encouraging them to look at Lincoln Square instead. "We visited lincolnsquare.org when we were in Boston to find out about the neighborhood, and we started to realize that it was the right place for us to be," says Jenny. Once they arrived, they loved their new neighborhood, but felt that it could use an independent coffee shop. At the same time, Jenny's sister-in-law, Susan had been discussing with her husband Bob how she wanted to open a café.
After realizing that they both independently had come up with the same idea, Jenny and Susan decided to join forces with Christian and Bob to start the business together. "We knew from the beginning that we wanted to open a café, and that we wanted to open it in Lincoln Square," recalls Jenny. "We made the conscious decision that I would be the one to quit my job and run the café. Because I'm a teacher, it would be easiest for me to get another teaching job if things didn't work out." Everyone else took on the task of opening the business while working their full-time jobs: Susan and Bob in the film editing business, and Christian in the marketing world. They rented a storefront in August of 2003 and began to build it out. Calling in favors from friends, they did as much of the construction and decorating as they could safely do. "Building the kitchen was one of the hardest things I've ever done," recalls Bob. They sought out food vendors from around the city to keep most of their business relationships local. "Susan was our taste buds," laughs Bob. "She was really good at selecting the best foods to serve and researched just about every option in the city." Before opening, they did tests of all of the food in the kitchen to make sure they could prepare everything in a timely manner and up to quality standards.
 When the hard work of opening was complete, then came the most difficult test of all. Would anyone show up to drink coffee? "We felt that that there was more than enough business for everyone in the neighborhood," explains Jenny. In their first month, students and staff from the Old Town School of Folk Music kept them in business. The masses of students who attend classes all evening and who leave hungry or thirsty love stopping in The Grind. Most of the employees at The Grind ended up being regulars at the Old Town School performances, too. Early on, other area business owners came forward to lend their support. "It was so nice how the other business owners did everything they could to help us," explains Jenny. "Billy and Malcom at The Grafton gave us names of contractors they have worked with, Jeanne and Birgit at Café Selmarie gave us tons of moral support and offered their help if we needed it, the staff at Bad Dog always came in, the people from Tank send us business all the time, Rick from Ricochet's has been so friendly. And they all come here to buy their coffee, too."
Soon, word of mouth began growing about The Grind. Stories started appearing in Red Eye and the Chicago Tribune. More customers came, in addition to the Old Town students. Fortunately, the staff was able to not only keep up with the growth, they started drawing repeat business of their own. "We have a great staff," explains Christian. "Everyone knows our regular customers so well, that they can start making their drink orders as soon as the customers walk in the door. We didn't realize how important having a good staff would be until after we opened. They really are the ambassadors of the café." Not long after The Grind opened, a special staff member joined the team—Jenny and Bob's mom, who had just retired and didn't want to get bored. "She's in here just about every morning, making the soup, the hummus, the eggs for the breakfast sandwiches," says Jenny. "She loves working here." Thanks to her, Ackerman heirloom recipes are being passed on like their grandmother's soup, a regular soup of the day. Now, Jenny and Bob's aunt who recently moved to Chicago has also been helping out. "Family you can always call on to do something and they won't send you a bill," laughs Christian.
In a neighborhood that loves its independent businesses, The Grind has been a runaway success. The café has offers an impressive variety of items for its size, yet the offerings aren't overwhelming. The partners decided early on to concentrate on coffee first and do that well before anything else. The drink menu covers the bases for caffeine fiends and those who prefer more relaxing beverages, with espresso drinks, blended coffee drinks, hot chocolate, smoothies, sodas, fresh juices and loose teas. Beside the front counter, a rack of loose teas sits out for customers to sample with a sign that reads "Go ahead and smell our teas." All of the items that go with coffee so well are represented, including cakes, cookies, pastries and scones. Drinks and meals are made to order, and much of the food is either homemade (including the soups, pesto, hummus and cranberry vinaigrette dressing) or brought in fresh from local Chicago vendors. Typical suppliers include Intelligentsia Coffee, Sweet Thang bakery, Southport Bakery, Red Hen Bread, the Middle Eastern Bakery in Andersonville, Rishi teas and Kaufman's bagels, to name a few. "Nine out of ten of our suppliers are from Chicago," says Susan. Meals are simple and light, and include neighborhood favorites like the Caprice Sandwich (smoked mozzarella, tomato, pesto on a ciabatta roll) and the Spring Salad (mixed greens, goat cheese, cranberries, green apples and toasted walnuts). For the summer, The Grind will feature refreshing Argentinian gelato from The Penguin.
 Besides staying focused and doing a few things exceptionally well, The Grind's success comes partly from discipline. "Christian's Swiss precision keeps us all in check," laughs Bob. "He was the one who would look at our finances and say 'Okay, we can't spend any more money for a while.' He's the type of person that is always able to balance his checkbook to the penny." Being married to someone originally from Switzerland has helped Jenny make connections with some Lincoln Square neighbors. "I know just enough German to impress the little old German ladies by speaking it when they come in," said Jenny. It's these kinds of touches that show how much every one of The Grind's owners care about the business and the neighborhood, which is the real secret of their success. They've created a welcoming environment that everyone wants to be part of.
It's official: the neighbors are glad The Grind has arrived in Lincoln Square. "People come in and tell us all the time, 'We're so happy that you opened here,'" said Jenny. The partners have attained their goal of creating a café with a true sense of community. "In some ways, we wish we could be bigger," explains Jenny, "because we don't want to turn anyone away." The crowding should ease a bit, however, as soon as the weather warms up and The Grind can open its small sidewalk café. Visit Lincoln Square's hidden gem of a café anytime of the year to find out why people flock there for its ambience, delicious food and of course, its coffee. "We're just so thankful to the whole neighborhood for supporting us," Jenny says.
The Grind Café
4613 B North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.271.4482
www.thegrindco.com
Hours:
Monday to Friday - 7:00am to 10:00pm
Saturday - 8:00am to 10:00pm
Sunday - 8:00am to 7:00pm
|
