Why I Oughta...

The post I put up yesterday regarding how Aurelio's pre-pans their dough and then racks them up pre-service time was drawn from a tip they provided on their Instagram handle.  A few posts back, they shared a photo of their founder - Joe Aurelio - in his red and white striped shop shirt . View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aurelio's Pizza (@aureliospizza) That image deserved a post here in the [ pizza dreaming ] category.   Aurelio's has a whole history section up on their site and there are a number of photos with Joe Aurelio wearing this same striped shirt.  Serving beer, visiting a table and in the kitchen. I've posted a number of times over the years here on the blog about the not-going-to-happen pizza parlor spot dream.     It starts with the look of this vintage Little Caesar's Pizza Treat location with a window into the kitchen and side-by-side prep and waiting room.   Just about everything there - the paneling, the seating,

Via Little Caesars corporate site here .  This is not my photo.  I saw this photo (above) in this video from Company Man on YouTube ( He's a good follow there . Interesting brand histories and some speculation/rationale for why they succeed/fail.  That's what I'm pretty sure is the first franchise of Little Caesar's in Warren Michigan.  On the Little Caesars corporate site , they list 1962 as the year of the first franchise and include this photo. At first glance, I love just everything about this photo.  The name (Little Caesar's Pizza Treat), the sign (the fonts, the shape, the l-shaped light bulb row down the side and across the bottom).  Then, inside the place, those light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.  The fact that they have a lamp in there.  The fact that the store is split up 50/50 front-to-back so from the outside you get a peek into the kitchen.  The entirely glass front of the store.  The employees wearing white with paper hats.  And that car

In the vestibule of the Aurelio's in LaGrange are a series of vintage newspaper advertisements including this one you see above.  It is announcing the opening of a new restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona.  But, it is from 1974.  Who knew!?!  They had expanded beyond the southside of Chicago by the mid-1970's?  From the copy in the ad, it appears that Joe Aurelio, himself, had relocated to Scottsdale. Joe Aurelio formerly of Homewood Illinois cordially invites you to an evening of friendly family atmosphere and delicious foods.  For that extra special touch and Free Gift to the ladies say --- "Joe sent me." That's the move, right?  Have a Chicago eats place, retire. Move to Arizona or Florida.  Open up another place where there are other Chicago snowbirds.