MONSTERS OF THE MEAT-WAY: THE ORIGINAL MR. BEEF BRINGS JUICY CHICAGO FLAVOR TO MIDWAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

MONSTERS OF THE MEAT-WAY: THE ORIGINAL MR. BEEF BRINGS JUICY CHICAGO FLAVOR TO MIDWAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The first airport outpost of the iconic Orleans Street Italian beef shop serves hefty sandwiches the Chicago way: baptized in succulent au jus with as much zesty giardiniera as you can bear.

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), SSP America and Midway Partnership cut the ribbon on The Original Mr. Beef at Midway International Airport, the first airport outpost of Chicago’s iconic River North Italian beef shop.

“Mr. Beef is a Chicago institution, and I’m proud to welcome that local flavor to our Southwest Side airport,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “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.”

“Opening Mr. Beef does more than just beef up the local offerings in Midway’s expansive concessions program,” said CDA Commissioner Michael J. McMurray. “This is an investment in our communities, creating jobs for residents from all of our city’s communities, whether they like their sandwiches wet or dry.”

Mr. Beef offers meaty helpings of its signature hot Italian beef, Italian sausage and combination sandwiches, dipped or dry, along with a selection of grab-and-go deli subs and breakfast options. The original Orleans Street restaurant has been serving Italian beef to Chicagoans since 1979.

“Today, we are humbled by the opening of Mr. Beef at Midway Airport. We are truly grateful for the love that our city and customers—from here and all over the world—have shown us throughout the years. We are honored to continue serving the beef sandwich, a legacy of Chicago culture,” said the Mr. Beef team.

The Midway location near Gate B14 is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“There are some flavors that are unmistakably Chicago—and The Original Mr. Beef is one of them,” said George Mboya, CEO of SSP America. “We’re enormously proud to bring this North Orleans Street icon to Midway International in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation and Midway Partnership. Bringing The Original Mr. Beef to Midway is exactly what this continued transformation is about—iconic local brands, an elevated passenger experience, and meaningful impact for Chicago. We’re grateful to Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Aviation for their leadership and collaboration in bringing this vision to life.”

“With today’s grand opening, Mr. Beef is the latest delicious addition to the 70-plus unique eating, shopping, and amenities now available at Midway,” said Shawnta Young, General Manager, Midway Partnership. “We’re proud to showcase an unmistakably Chicago sense of place at Midway through a mix of great local brands, delivered by a talented team of local employees.”

Mr. Beef is the latest in a series of new concessions developments at Midway in recent years. The revamped Central Market opened in the fall of 2023 at the intersection of Concourses A and B, featuring local brands such as Reilly’s Daughter. The completion of the Central Market marked the completion of the $400 million Midway Modernization Program, the most comprehensive investment in Midway’s facilities in more than two decades.

In 2024, Midway welcomed The Club MDW, its first-ever shared-use airport lounge. New retail openings in the past year include Fannie May, a new Hudson store, Chicago Sports and Johnston & Murphy. Last month saw the opening of Gameway, Chicago’s first airport video gaming lounge.

Since 2017, Midway Partnership, a joint venture that includes Vantage Group, SSP America, and Hudson by Avolta, has invested over $75 million, expanded the total concessions area by approximately 30,000 square feet, and doubled jobs from 700 to 1,400, with 80% of employees from the local community.

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) owns and operates one of the world's busiest airport systems, comprised of O'Hare and Midway International Airports. Chicago's airports offer service to more than 260 nonstop destinations worldwide, including 76 international destinations, combined. Together, Chicago's airports serve more than 100 million passengers each year and generate approximately $70 billion in annual economic activity for the region while supporting 700,000 jobs throughout nine counties. More than 54,000 employees work directly at O’Hare and Midway.

The CDA is self-sustaining, using no local or state tax dollars for operations or capital improvements at either airport. For more information, visit flychicago.com.

Midway Partnership is a joint venture comprised of some of the top companies in the aviation industry – Vantage Group, SSP America, and Hudson by Avolta – tasked with transforming the dining and shopping options at Chicago Midway International Airport. Midway Partnership has invested over $75 million to bring more than 70 new dining and retail brands to the airport. Midway Partnership is creating hundreds of new employment opportunities in the City of Chicago and is well on the way to doubling the number of concessions jobs at the airport from 700 to 1,400. The project will increase the total concessions area from approximately 40,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet and boasts one of the nation’s highest Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) participation levels at over 56%. Our work will position Chicago Midway to be a leading international airport in the coming years, generate tens of millions of dollars for Chicago residents and the city, and improve the travel experiences of the 22 million passengers annually. For more information about Midway Partnership, please visit www.midwaypartnership.com.


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