Monday, September 8, 2008

Pizza Factory Still Closed On Sheridan

We thought we would stop by one of the latest Uptown restaurants to be shut down by the health department, Pizza Factory at 4443 N Sheridan. According to the sign in the window, it was shut down July 28 due to a host of violations. Check out EveryBlock for the complete rundown.
Doesn't look like they are in much of a hurry to reopen.

38 comments:

  1. Good. Maybe they will lose their lease, and a decent retailer can come in and clean that place up. From their storefront and the people they allow to loiter in front of it, to the tremendous amount of trash in their parking lot, that place is an eyesore.

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  2. This location - the pizza place and the store - create a lot of trash and unsavory loitering. There are always shady characters hanging out in front, drinking in the parking lot, and creeping around in the alley. I once watched five consecutive patrons walk out, finish their pizza, and casually toss the trash to the ground.

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  3. Is that aka as C.W. Napkin?

    It's the same address.

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  4. yep - Pizza factory and CW Napkin are one in the same.

    I definitely do not miss their delivery driver flying down Agatite, in his beat up car with no muffler.

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  5. The last time I ate there was on June 18th and, about an hour after eating, was hit with such a severe case of food poisoning I ended up in the emergency room. When all was said and done, I ended up with severe diahrrea for 14 days.

    Up until now I had thought it was something altogether different I ate that day (or the day before). Now I know.

    Ugh.

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  6. Whoa, I've never left a comment here as of yet despite some pseudo racist posts that were offensive (Read: Post about the Food Mart on Wilson). However, I feel that someone needs to stand up for the Pizza Factory. Sure, the property is in disrepair, questionable people loiter there, and it might have been a drug front; but, the food was terrific (in a gressy i need to nurse a hangover type of way), cheap, and fast (especially when you can just walk a block to pick up Pizza). It, in all seriousness , made the area feel safer since there were always people sitting in the parking lot smoking, now the parking lot is dark and empty at night. I agree with the trash but I'd rather have a unique place like the factory than some bullshit chain like ... Target. So that's my one and only post on UU. Otherwise I enjoy this blog.

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  7. "Whoa, I've never left a comment here as of yet despite some pseudo racist posts that were offensive (Read: Post about the Food Mart on Wilson). However, I feel that someone needs to stand up for the Pizza Factory. Sure, the property is in disrepair, questionable people loiter there, and it might have been a drug front; but, the food was terrific (in a gressy i need to nurse a hangover type of way), cheap, and fast (especially when you can just walk a block to pick up Pizza). It, in all seriousness , made the area feel safer since there were always people sitting in the parking lot smoking, now the parking lot is dark and empty at night. I agree with the trash but I'd rather have a unique place like the factory than some bullshit chain like ... Target. So that's my one and only post on UU. Otherwise I enjoy this blog."

    No offense, but have to wonder about your standards. You feel the need to defend a place that that you admit is in disrepair, has lots of questionable loitering, is possibly a drug front (which I must admit I assumed was the case based on some behavior I had witnessed in the past)and had tons of trash all over the place? And that the health department shut down for a list of violations that I actually had to scroll through on a large monitor to see them all? I'm all for defending unique places in Uptown, even ones that a certain breed of yuppie suburbia can't stand merely because it doesn't look like a carbon copy suburban strip mall, but I'd think you could find something a heck of a lot more worthy of your defense than the Pizza Factory.

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  8. I tend to think that seeing folks on the streets makes it feel safer, but I live Agatite right near the Pizza Factory and those guys hanging out in the parking lot always creeped me out. So I'm glad it's closed. Now if we could just get a non-greasy cheap take-out joint in that space...I'd be thrilled.

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  9. I've always been a little skeptical of that place ever since I almost moved next door about 20-plus years ago. There's a GOOD greasy place and a "greasy" greasy place. The little joint on the corner of Lawrence and Broadway (next to the Green Mill): good greasy, even way before the makeover. The Pizza Factor? That one always seemed like the latter.

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  10. And I thought that was sausage on my pizza....

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  11. if you want the BEST greasy hangover pizza, ya need to head up north to JB's on Morse!

    Got me thru many a hangover while at Loyola...

    I'd never go into Pizza Factory, dirty windows.

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  12. if you want the BEST greasy hangover pizza, ya need to head up north to JB's on Morse!

    Of course, JB Alberto's. But for some strange reason the delivered pizza is not as good as the slices you grab at the window. Maybe being drunk has something to do with it....

    but I stopped going there when there were all of these folks hanging out in front of there every single hour of the day. Seemed like a good place to get shot. and come to think of it, i did get shot at walking down the stree that runs north/south from Alberto's directly across the street. Actually one gangbanger was shooting at another gangbanger and I just happened to be walking behind one being shot at.

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  13. Actually that place over on Broadway directly across from the Wilson el entrance didn't use to be bad, although it's been a while since I've been there, back when I wasn't too worried to walk home late at night down that street. But I haven't been there in a while so can't say what's up with them.

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  14. The one on Broadway by the Wilson el stop is Gigios and it has been there a long time, still family owned and operated and some of the best greasy, yummy, cheesy pizza I've ever had (no, I don't work for them, just a fan that stumbled across them accidentally one night when a friend wanted food walking back from Broadway and Montrose).

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  15. I wasn't joking about that food poisoning story, by the way.

    I'm actually relieved that I know where I got it from now.

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  16. I gotta give a shout out to Gigio's, as well. I live around the corner and they do have some of the best pizza in the neighborhood. If you're looking for a substitution for Pizza Factory, Gigio's is a great place to start. They also donated to our block party, so I give them props for being involved with the community.

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  17. Wow..

    I had no idea that was C.W. Napkin. I have ordered there many times in the past. I quit ordering from there about 2years ago. There food was really good. Now that I see where it's actually coming from I feel sick.

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  18. I also had no idea that this place and CW Napkin were one and the same. That's a pretty rough stretch of Sheridan to begin with, and I always thought the mall looked pretty dumpy.

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  19. If you want good pizza, and they sell it by the slice too, go to Rosatis on Broadway and Ainslie, in the shopping mall there. They have giant slices for $4. And really, really good pizza.

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  20. funcon6 said, "The last time I ate there was on June 18th and, about an hour after eating, was hit with such a severe case of food poisoning I ended up in the emergency room."

    An hour?! Your ER staff must have failed to inform you that incubation periods for the bacteria and viruses that cause food-borne illnesses range from several hours to several weeks with symptoms first appearing 24 to 72 hours after ingestion.

    Food poisoning is serious business, but no less serious than falsely accusing a restaurant of spreading it.

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  21. Geep,

    "geep" in military slang means "junior" in terms of date of rank.

    As for your medical knowledge and Pizza Factory the work "rank" comes to mind. At least in terms of stink.

    It is possible to get food poisoning in less than an hour. Particularly if a chemical was involved instead of bacteria. However, it does generally take a few hours to days to become noticeable. "Generally" being the operative word.

    Now I never ordered from the place so I have no first hand experience. All I know is that based on appearance alone they should have been shut down. Can't clean your windows........don't expect any of my money.

    There are many greasy spoons in Uptown such as the glorious Jake's that seem to operate cleanly and decently. The Pizza Factory is no great loss. If you crave greasy pizza try BoJonos on Clarendon. They have it down to a science and it's gooooooooooooooooood.

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  22. I've ordered from CW Napkin for years starting when I lived in Lakeview. Never knew it was such a dump. I stopped ordering after I got food poisoning from them. Believe the food poisoning stories; they're true.

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  23. ip- bojo's DO grease good, real good. I help em with their rent nearly once a week. And their windows are spotless.

    geep, pvc

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  24. I had a friend who ordered a pizza from the Pizza Factory, then two weeks later, bam!...herpes.

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  25. Actually, geep, you're wrong.

    While the symptoms of food borne illness typically take from 24 to 72 hours to appear, they can also appear almost immediately after ingestion.

    The main factor in "immediate presentation" is a severe reaction from the body's immune system, especially if the pathogen in question has been in the body before.

    There's no question in my mind the awfully pink burger they delivered to me (despite my request for Medium) is what caused my illness.

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  26. Chip,

    your suppose to eat the pizza not fornicate with it.

    I should write an advice column.

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  27. Funcon6, now that you ‘have no question in your mind’ that food you ingested from the PF was the source of your poisoning, could you now share with us the proof you have for making such allegations, perhaps the results of lab tests your health care professionals performed on food samples, vomit, stool, blood?

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  28. Yeah, I'm going to share my health records on the internet. What a brilliant idea.

    I'm sorry if you consider this a case of piling on. If you have some personal or financial interest in The Pizza Factory/CW Napkin, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm not going to apologize for making accusations here that I believe to be true and which appear to be strongly supported by the 14 serious health code violations they were hit with.

    Perhaps you should whip up some fare in their kitchen and see what sort of ordeal that results in. Or not. I wouldn't wish what I endured on my worst enemy.

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  29. I ate a bad Whopper once at a Burger King and never ate another one again. I didn't get my stool sampled but being that I was burping it up 12 hours later and as sick as can be, it wasn't difficult for me to guess how I contracted it.

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  30. What about Villa May pizza on Lawrence? I hear they're great.

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  31. Villa May is great. The cheese they use on their pizza is awesome.

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  32. Villa May is very good. I order from them frequently. They used to be around 1900 Montrose and moved in the last year to a larger location just west of Clark on Lawrence.

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  33. Both Villa May(old on Montrose & new on Lawrence) and Gigios have been around since the early 70s. We used to keep the car running whenver we went to Gigios. It was always a good slice to teenage boys back in the day.....

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  34. Is the Gigio's on Broadway one and the same as the Gigio's in Evanston? I've had the Evanston version 10 billion times and would be glad to try the much closer location in Uptown.

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  35. Gigios pizza slices used to be great however the whole pizza is better because it's freshly cooked. Even better when cut into squares. But my personal favorite pizza place would have to be Chicagos. yum yum!!

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  36. Too bad they cannot inspect the thrift store too. I live across the alley and the thrift store always have dirt and junk in the alley and parking lot. Thier many trucks that come daily make excess noise and block the alley all day so we cannot get into our parking. When the pizza joint was open their employeesas well as unique store has employees drinking and in and around the lot all day and night. Good riddens I say and I hope they both move out and we get some decent business in here.....

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  37. I used to work there 10 years ago. The owner, Michael was suspectedly a drug addict. The place was nasty but the good was good and not cheap at all (at that time for me since I was in college - Truman College :d - and working part time for minimum wage).

    While it's good to close it down but I feel bad for some people work there. Some of them are students, some were ex-convicts or ex-drug addicts try to make way back to normal lives!!! I hope the owner will clean up his acts and his place!!!

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  38. i used to work at pizza factory and am still good friends with the owner michael. he is a good guy and a hard working man. the business was struggling, and i know many hard working people in that store, including one who stood by michael side and run that store for over 20 years. the food was great. Michael was not and is not a drug addict. He is an older man who worked 7 days a week from 3:30 till sometimes 3:30 in the morning. he was always conscientious about cleaning the store, and making sure everything was in order..but unfortunately he cut corners in the wrong places:drivers (he should have hired only the kind of people he would want representing his restaurant), the parking lot (he should have his surroundings representing the kind of place he wants people to solicit), and a host of many other things. He had a great manager there who worked so hard, but he never gave him the freedom to make the changes needed to keep Pizza Factory open, and a sustainable business. I believe that it could have been, but Michael needed to step back and let his managers run the place. Michael did the best he thought he could in the situation he was in financially, but his biggest flaw was his thoughts on who he would allow to be in the environment that was the pizza factory.

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