2009 chicago kosher community survey - final survey report

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2009 Chicago AreaKosher Community Survey

Final Report

Date of ReleaseOctober 2, 2009

Kosher Community Surveys LLC

www.kosher-community-surveys.com


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Page 1 of 322009 Chicago Area Kosher Community Survey

Table of Contents

Best of Kosher Chicago....................................2

Partners in Customer Feedback ...................... 5

Complete Survey Results ................................ 6

Kosher Quality Scores ..................................... 25

Chicago Kosher Directory................................. 27

Restaurants/Take-Out............................. 27Bakeries .................................................. 30Caterers................................................... 32Stores/Butchers....................................... 34Kosher Supervision Organizations.......... 36

Kosher Blogs & Web Sites ............................... 37

End Notes ......................................................... 38

2009 Kosher Community Surveys LLCAll rights reserved.

Kosher Community Surveys and its logo are trademarksof Kosher Community Surveys LLC.

Kosher Community Surveys has completed itsChicago 2009 kosher survey. The Chicagocommunity response sustained its performancefrom last year with over 300 participants.

The number of establishments participating inKCSs Partners in Customer Feedback programis notable (see page 5). This initiative providesestablishments an opportunity to demonstratetheir interest in your customer feedback. Thatinterest can be the start of improved service.

In these tough economic times, this is the year for kosher consumers to ask the owners andmanagers of establishments, What did you learnfrom this years survey results? and What areyou doing to improve?

Happy Eating,Neil Rosenbaum


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Category Winners

Stores/Butchers

Winners

Service Quality Jewel Food StoreSrulie's Essen Delicatessen

Environment Jewel Food StoreSelection Hungarian Kosher Foods

Quality of Fresh &Prepared Foods

Romanian Kosher

Price Jewel Food Store

Runner-ups

Service Quality Hungarian Kosher FoodsRomanian Kosher

Environment(Dcor/Appearance/

Cleanliness)

Srulie's Essen Delicatessen

Selection Jewel Food StoreRomanian Kosher

Quality of Fresh &Prepared Foods

Jewel Food Store

Price Hungarian Kosher Foods


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Restaurants

Winners

Food Quality Taboun GrillService Quality Shallots Bistro


Cleanliness)

Shallots Bistro

Value Taboun Grill

Runner-ups

Food Quality Shallots BistroService Quality The Sandwich Club

Taboun GrillEnvironment

(Dcor/Appearance/Cleanliness)

Hy Life Bistro

Value The Sandwich Club

Bakeries

Winners

Food Quality Breadsmith of SkokieService Quality Breadsmith of Skokie

Selection Breadsmith of SkokieEnvironment

(Dcor/Appearance/

Cleanliness)

Breadsmith of Skokie

Value Jewel Food Store Bakery

Runner-ups

Food Quality Bagel CountryJewel Food Store Bakery

Service Quality Jewel Food Store BakerySelection Jewel Food Store Bakery


Cleanliness)

Jewel Food Store Bakery

Value Tel Aviv Kosher Bakery


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Complete Survey Results:Stores/Butchers

Please consult the kosher directory portion of the survey for kosher supervision information for each establishment. Whilewe try to be as accurate as possible, kashrut status for a givenestablishment can change after publication of this report.Please contact the establishment directly and/or your kashrutauthority for up-to-date information.

Some establishments did not receive a sufficient number of evaluations to have their statistics listed in this years finalreport.

The text underneath each establishments statisticalinformation is a summary of the written comments provided bythe survey takers.

Garden Fresh Market - Kosher Korner

Poor Fair Good V.Good Excellent

Service quality 3% 3% 17% 38% 38%

Environment(cleanliness/layout) 2% 0% 12% 38% 48%

Selection of merchandise 2% 7% 16% 31% 45%

Quality of fresh &prepared foods 2% 5% 14% 32% 47%

Price 7% 14% 26% 38% 16%

Number of respondents for this store: 58

There were an insufficient number of written comments tocreate a full summary.


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Good Morgan Fish






Price 11% 19% 28% 28% 15%



Hungarian Kosher Foods






Price 1% 12% 28% 44% 15%


Positive written comments about Hungarian Kosher Foodsfocused on the excellent wine offerings, a good selection of products, and improvement in keeping the establishmentclean. With respect to the latter item, customers still indicatedthat more work and attention needed to be done in that area.Patrons observed that some food was sold past expirationdate and that the quality of produce was disappointing.Chicago consumers appreciated the stores stocking of bison,but were disappointed that it was often out of stock.


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Kol Tov Kosher Foods



Environment(cleanliness/layout) 6% 19%

30% 25% 20%

Selection of merchandise 1% 7% 15% 30%

46%

Quality of fresh &prepared foods 1% 4% 9%

32% 19%

Price 2% 7% 25% 43% 22%



Moshe's New York Kosher



Environment(cleanliness/layout) 14% 22% 27%

30% 5%

Selection of merchandise 8% 19%

49% 11% 8%

Quality of fresh &prepared foods 8% 11% 14%

27% 16%

Price 6% 17% 33% 22% 19%




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Romanian Kosher Sausage Co.






Price 3% 12% 30% 36% 19%


For another year, kosher consumers raved about the quality of meat at Romanian Kosher Sausage. Patrons described thisestablishments meat and deli as best in Chicago specifically mentioning the corn beef, pastrami, hot dog,salami, and sausage. Apparently, high quality came at a price

people noted that the meats can be priced on the expensiveside. Additionally, customers also were clear that theemployees provided poor service and had a bad attitude.

Srulie's Essen Delicatessen






Price 7% 14% 30% 26% 23%




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Full Survey Results: Restaurants/Take-Out

Some establishments did not receive a sufficient number of evaluations to have their statistics listed in this years finalreport.

Bagel Country

Poor Fair GoodV.Good Excellent

Food quality 6% 9% 31% 37% 17%


Environment(cleanliness/

appearance/dcor)10% 12% 25% 37% 16%

Value 13% 16% 33% 27% 11%


With respect to the restaurant aspect of Bagel County,local customers described the food quality as good with anice selection of menu items. Customer service receivedmixed comments. Mixed comments also were offered for the cleanliness of the establishment, with a majority of people indicating that Bagel Country was dirtier than it

should be, while others observed a clean atmosphere.One other area of requested improvement was the lengthof time needed to wait to obtain food.


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Da'Nali's Caf


Food quality 4% 7% 17% 47% 25%




Value 6% 10% 29% 37% 18%


Patrons of DaNalis Caf offered many positive writtencomments about this establishments food, with particular emphasis on the pizza. Critical comments focused on thenoisiness of the premises and instances of poor servicefrom wait staff. There were also some negative commentsabout the cover charge required on Saturday night. Theentertainment was appreciated by some customers andnot by others.

Good Morgan Fish


Food quality 0% 2% 5% 42% 51%




Value 2% 26% 23% 33% 16%


There were an insufficient number of written comments tocreate a full summary. The comments that were providedmentioned the high quality fish sandwiches and the slowservice.


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Great Chicago Food and Beverage Co.


Food quality 9% 10% 28% 41% 11%




Value 5% 16% 33% 34% 12%


Despite the good numerical scores, Great Chicagoreceived mixed written comments about the quality of food. Patrons found that they did not receive enoughvalue for their money for the food here. In addition,customers indicated that the environment left a lot to bedesired they described it as rundown and dirty.Customers compared Great Chicago with Kens, withKens being better.

Hy Life Bistro


Food quality 5% 6% 12% 36% 41%




Value 6% 17% 26% 29% 21%


Customers of Hy Life Bistro described this restaurant as aplace to go for a nice meal. Patrons provided writtencomments indicating good and bad experiences.Customers observed that the menu has been the samefor a long time and request more changes. Finally,patrons complained about the non-acceptance of creditcards.


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Ken's Diner & Grille


Food quality 3% 9% 18% 40% 30%




Value 10% 20% 29% 29% 14%


Chicagos kosher consumers indicated that Kens Diner &Grille was the best place to go for a good tastinghamburger, with special mention of the Burger Buddy.Patrons also appreciated the fun atmosphere. Whilesome consumers felt that they received a good value for

this type of cuisine, a majority of the written commentsreflected a sense that prices have risen to a point where itwas difficult to justify them for fast food. While thenumerical scores indicated good service quality, writtencomments contained mostly instances of negativeexperiences with the staff.

Main Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor


Food quality 3% 15% 31% 39% 12%




Value 6% 18% 37% 31% 8%


Main Pizzas customers provided positive comments thatfocused on the pizza. Many people found theestablishment to be on the dirty side and therefore chooseto purchase food only on a take-out basis. On the serviceside, comments varied from very positive to rude.


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Malibu Pizza and Pasta


Food quality 17% 18% 19% 28% 17%




Value 21% 12% 25% 30% 12%


There were an insufficient number of written comments tocreate a full summary. Comments that were providedexpressed an appreciation for the informal atmosphere.

Metro Klub


Food quality 4% 2% 20% 40% 34%




Value 4% 8% 38% 22% 28%


There were an insufficient number of written comments tocreate a full summary. Comments that were providedaddressed: appreciation of a downtown location, thelimited nature of the menu, and the request that theestablishment remain open for more hours.


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Mizrahi Grill


Food quality 4% 4% 24% 37% 32%




Value 3% 16% 26% 38% 18%


There were an insufficient number of written comments tocreate a full summary. Comments that were providedaddressed: very long waits for food, good qualityschwarma, and the preference for Taboun Grills Israelifood.

The Sandwich Club


Food quality 4% 5% 10% 38% 44%



appearance/dcor )6% 11% 30% 31% 23%

Value 4% 10% 25% 33% 29%


The Sandwich Club was described as the dark horse of Chicago kosher eateries. Most comments about thisrestaurant were positive. Consumers described the food asgood tasting, with special mention of the fajitas and the wraps.The establishment was seen as clean and providing goodservice for the most part. A great majority of patrons found thevalue of the food very good, with a vocal minority finding theprices too high. The most significant negative comment wasthat patrons found the size of the restaurant too small.


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Shallots Bistro


Food quality 0% 3% 12% 33% 52%




Value 9% 23% 30% 24% 14%


Shallots Bistro again received a significant amount of positive written comments about the quality of food.Patrons found this white tablecloth establishment a niceplace to eat with a positive atmosphere and professionalservice. Positive customer service was not universal withsome customers indicating negative experiences. Criticalcomments focused on the relatively small food portionsand the high prices. Given the dinner prices, peopleparticularly appreciated the lunch menu with its lower prices.

Slice of Life


Food quality 7% 12% 26% 38% 17%




Value 9% 20% 31% 30% 10%


Patrons of Slice of Life provided highlights of this restaurantthat focused on extremely good pizza and a nice eatingenvironment. While appreciating the variety of items on themenu, some consumers asked for some updates to the menu.Customer service was described as hit-or-miss, ranging fromvery good service, to slow service to lack of attention. Food

quality was also generally seen as inconsistent. Refusal totake credit cards was a large frustration with customers.Ordering take-out also presented some issues with customers,particularly with the time required to obtain your food.


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Ta'boun Grill


Food quality 2% 3% 7% 24% 65%




Value 3% 9% 21% 42% 26%


Taboun Grill was described by its customers as one of the best restaurants in the city with nice dcor and tastyIsraeli food. People found the food to be of great quality.The restaurant now has two locations. The new locationreceived positive comments. The old location wascriticized as having a very noisy atmosphere, with tablestoo close together, and difficult parking. Service was seenas a mixed bag. Customers also expressed an interest inmore vegetarian options.

Taami


Food quality 9% 13% 17% 33% 28%




Value 11% 13% 27% 29% 20%

Number of respondents for this establishment: 82

There were an insufficient number of written comments tocreate a full summary. Comments that were providedaddressed the length of time needed for service.


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Tein Li Chow


Food quality 4% 3% 12% 40% 41%




Value 7% 17% 31% 25% 20%


Tein Li Chow, Chicagos source of kosher Chinese food,received primarily positive comments. Most resondeantsdescribed the food as excellent, although such praise wasnot universal. Some customers did find the food greasy.This establishment also received positive comments onthe variety of offerings on the menu and the quality of customer service. The only thing patrons indicating asmissing from Tein Li Chow was sit-down service.

Tel Aviv Kosher Pizza & Dairy Restaurant


Food quality 5% 10% 37% 34% 15%




Value 5% 16% 27% 34% 18%


Tel Aviv Kosher Pizza received many written comments thatpeople liked the quality of the pizza. At the same time,customers identified three areas of improvement. First, patronsfound this restaurant so dirty that they were uncomfortableeating here. Second, there are many service issues with staff being slow, unresponsive and unfriendly. Third, customers

suggested that the owners consider updating the decor.


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Breadsmith of Chicago


Food quality 0% 0% 17% 23% 60%


Selection 3% 3% 23% 31% 40%



Value 3% 3% 29% 31% 34%



Breadsmith of Skokie


Food quality 0% 5% 10% 36% 50%


Selection 0% 4% 19% 40% 37%



Value 6% 7% 36% 31% 20%


There were an insufficient number of written comments tocreate a full summary. Comments that were providedaddressed: the good quality of breads (especially challah), thehigh prices, and the need for a wider selection of goods.


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North Shore Bakery


Food quality 2% 7% 29% 40% 22%


Selection 1% 9% 41% 29% 20%



Value 1% 10% 39% 38% 14%



Tel Aviv Kosher Bakery


Food quality 3% 10% 20% 35% 32%


Selection 2% 11% 21% 30% 36%



Value 2% 10% 25% 34% 29%




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Kosher Quality Scores

Note: Kosher Quality Scores are based on adding only thevery good and excellent percentages in each of the ratedcategories (e.g., quality of food) for each establishment. Seeeach establishments full statistics for more information.

Restaurants/Take-Out

Food Service Environment ValueDairy

Bagel Country 54 42 53 38Good Morgan 93 51 35 49Tel Aviv Pizza 49 34 12 52

Malibu Pizza 45 46 57 42Slice of Life 55 45 75 40

DaNalis Caf 72 56 68 55Main Pizza 51 39 30 39

Meat Sandwich Club 82 74 54 62

Shallots 85 84 92 38Kens Diner &

Grille 70 56 46 43

Metro Klub 74 76 86 50

Taami 61 53 60 49Taboun Grill 89 73 61 68Tein Li Chow 81 77 72 45

Great Chicago 52 40 28 46Hy Life Bistro 77 69 84 50

Mizrahi Grill 69 55 58 56


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Stores

ServiceEnviron-

ment Selection Quality PriceGarden Fresh

Market76 86 76 79 54

Good MorganFish 68 64 65 89 43

HungarianKosher Foods 62 48

89 67 59

Jewel FoodStore 75 82 81 81 63

Kol Touhy 55 42 47 35 59Kol Tov 71 45 76 51 65

Moshes NewYork Kosher 54 35 19 43 41

RomanianKosher 62 48 82

95 55

Srulies EssenDelicatessen

76 79 66 73 49

Bakeries

Food ServiceSelect-

ionEnviron

ment ValueBagel Country 74 56 63 65 46Breadsmith of

Skokie86 82 77 87 51

Breadsmith of Chicago 83 78 71 79 65

Dunkin Donuts 57 42 56 39 68

Jewel 7580

70 8370

North Shore 62 43 49 34 52Tel Aviv Bakery 67 65 66 40 63


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Chicago Kosher Directory

Restaurants/Take-Out

Bagel Country9306 N. Skokie Blvd.Skokie, IL 60077(847) 673-3030www.bagelcountry.comSupervision: CRC

Da'Nali's

4032 W. Oakton St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 677-2782www.danaliscafe.comSupervision: CRC

Good Morgan Fish2948 W. Devon Ave.Chicago, IL 60659(773) 764-8115Supervision: CRC


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Great Chicago Food and Beverage Company3149 W. Devon Ave.Chicago, IL 60659(773) 465-9030www.thegreatchicago.comSupervision: CRC

Harbour Grill2948 W. DevonChicago IL 60659(773) 764-8115Supervision: CRC

Hy Life Bistro4120 W. Dempster St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 674-2021www.hylifebistro.comSupervision: CRC

Ken's Diner 3353 W. Dempster St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 679-2850www.kensdiner.comSupervision: CRC

Main Pizza4209 Main St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 568-9920Supervision: CRC

Malibu Pizza & Pasta3353 Dempster Skokie, IL 60076(847) 675-2847Supervision: CRC

Metro Klub733 W. MadisonChicago, IL 60661(312) 602-2104Supervision: Midwest Kosher Lunch only


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Mizrahi Grill

215 Skokie Valley RoadHighland Park, IL 60035(847) 831-1400www.mizrahigrill.comSupervision: CRC

Now We're Cook'n Grill

710 Central St.Highland Park, IL 60035(847) 432-7310Supervision: Rabbi Herman Gross

Sandwich Club

4507 W. Oakton St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 677-6020Supervision: CRC

Shallots Bistro4741 W. Main St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 677-3463www.shallotsbistro.comSupervision: CRC

Slice of Life

4120 W. Dempster St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 674-2021www.sliceoflifekosher.comSupervision: CRC

Taami

2931 W. TouhyChicago, IL 60645(773) 465-6600Supervision: CRC

Ta'boun Grill

6339 N. California Ave.Chicago, IL 60659(773) 381-2606

8808 N. Gross Point Rd.

Skokie, IL 60076(847) 965-1818www.taboungrill.comSupervision: CRC


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Tein Li Chow2485 Howard St. [inside Jewel]Evanston, IL 60202(847) 328-4642www.teinlichow.comSupervision: CRC & OU

Tel Aviv Kosher Pizza6349 N. California Ave.Chicago, IL 60659(773) 764-3776Supervision: CRC

Bakeries

Bagel Country9306 N. Skokie Blvd.Skokie, IL 60077(847) 673-3030www.bagelcountry.comSupervision: CRC

Breadsmith of Skokie3327 W. Dempster St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 673-5001www.breadsmith.comSupervision: CRC


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Kirshner's Cuisine2839 W. Touhy Ave.Chicago, IL 60645(773) 465-6247Supervision: CRC

Kosher Gourmet, The3552 W. Dempster St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 433-7051www.thekoshergourmet.netSupervision: CRC

Michael C's Catering and Carryout3411 W. Dempster St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 673-3663Supervision: CRC

NJM Catering(773) 355-9117Supervision: CRC

Yitzy's Catering2931 W. Jarlath St.Chicago, IL 60645(773) 716-8676www.yitzyscatering.comSupervision : CRC


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Stores/Butchers

Argyle/J&M Kosher Meat Market4465 W. Lawrence Ave.Chicago, IL 60630(773) 794-0303Supervision: Rabbi Herman Gross

Ebner's Kosher Meat Market2649 W. Devon Ave.

Chicago, IL 60659(773) 764-1446Supervision: Rabbi Herman Gross

Garden Fresh Market (Kosher Korner)275 Skokie Blvd.Northbrook, IL 60062(847) 272-0300www.gardenfreshmarket.com

Supervision: CRC

Good Morgan Fish2948 W. Devon Ave.Chicago, IL 60659(773) 764-8115Supervision: CRC

Hungarian Kosher Foods4020 W. Oakton St.Skokie, IL 60076(847) 674-8008Supervision: CRC

Jewel-OSCO One-Stop Kosher Shop1600 W. Deerfield Rd.Highland Park, IL 60035(847) 579-0872Supervision: OU

Jewel-OSCO One-Stop Kosher Shop

2485 W. HowardEvanston, IL 60202(847) 579-9791Supervision: OU


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End Notes

The information reflected in this report is intended to be asaccurate as possible as of the date of this publication;however, information can change over time. It isrecommended that you call an establishment directly or theappropriate kosher supervision authority for the most up-to-date information.

Kosher Community Surveys LLC welcomes your comments/suggestions to improve the survey for next year.Contact us at [email protected] .

We hope that survey information will provide the communitywith a unique kosher food resource as well as provideestablishment owners with valuable information on how tobetter serve their customers needs.

Check out our surveys of other cities, including Cleveland,Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Philadelphiaat www.kosher-community-surveys.com. 2009 Kosher Community Surveys LLC

2009 chicago kosher community survey - final survey report

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