Cheesie's Pub & Grub

If you're not familiar with Cheezys yet, you should be. Cheezys is a magical kingdom of cheesiness and gooeyness. Hi, my name is Chris Johnson. I'm the owner and founder of Cheezys Publgrub here in Chicago, Illinois. Cheezys inspiration came from one day I went to lunch with a coworker. Were searching for a grilled cheese sandwich. She said I wish there was a place that sold just grilled cheese. And in that moment I was So that night, went home, wrote a menu, wrote a business plan. Part of ways with the job three weeks later and five and a half months after that, we opened our doors. It's just been a wild ride since and we grew fast. Cheezys has four locations. We have our original location, two locations on University of Chicago's campus. We're in a new location in Garfield Ridge. Plus the two food trucks that my brother and father run an opera. When it came to menu planning, I went with some of my childhood favorites with chicken tenders in a grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich, jalapeno poppers, french fries, and everything that would be very difficult for anyone who loves food to say no. It's on the menu. We've added greens to the menu. We've never been afraid from trying new things. So when it comes down to menu development, honestly, we just take a step back and think about what can actually taste good together. Let's give it a shot. Being open nearly 14 years, we've had some of the greatest people get part of our team. They really do understand the customer service world and how important it is to connect with your guests, especially in the restaurant industry more than anything. You have a work family. You are working side by side with each other. You are working in a fast-paced environment and you're working where you need people to get your back. Our team members come family from day one. It's just what we do. We're a family-run restaurant because we've always put everything back in by growing so fast and taking care of our team members. Never really felt that through success. If I only measured it, it had been built and the friendships I've been made and seeing, When I think about it, grilled cheese brought everything together. We are retail.