Beloved Chicago sandwich shop on DNC’s doorstep struggling to survive inflation

A beloved Chicago restaurant is on the verge of closing its doors for good as it struggles to keep up with inflation.

Moon’s Sandwich Shop has been a household name since 1933 and has weathered economic storms from the Great Depression to the pandemic.

The store is named after its founders, who drank alcohol illegally. According to owner Jim Radek, the store is struggling with rising labor costs and persistent inflation.

The skyrocketing costs of eggs, butter and wages have Radek wondering whether to pass the burden on to customers already stung by price increases. Meanwhile, customers are expressing frustration over rising menu prices, growing concerns about immigration and the increasingly elusive dream of home ownership.

The annual inflation rate in the US fell to 2.9 percent, down from a peak of 9.1 percent in June 2022.

Radek told the Wall Street Journal He’s not sure which presidential candidate can pull America out of this economic mess.

Unlike his butter suppliers, who can raise prices arbitrarily on a daily basis, Radek cannot afford to alienate customers by continually raising prices.

“A year ago, rib-eye steak cost me $6.95 a pound. Now it’s $8.95 a pound,” Radek said, noting the endless customer complaints about the cost.

You have to give [the customers] “A song and a dance about it,” he said.

Moon’s regular customers, including security guards, childcare workers and hairdressers, are keen to hear concrete proposals from all political parties on how to tackle poverty, solve the affordable housing crisis and ensure living wages for working people.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has proposed expanding child benefits, addressing the housing shortage by mandating the construction of 3 million homes, and punishing rent-seeking by going after companies that unfairly raise prices.

She and her allies are expected to outline her party’s strategy for winning the election at the Democratic National Party Convention, taking place this week in Chicago, just a stone’s throw from Moon’s.

Moon’s Diner is a cornerstone of the Windy City’s South and West Side neighborhoods. Many of its regulars grew up in neighborhoods that struggled with crime and poverty, such as the former Rockwell Gardens public housing project that once stood behind the restaurant.

Moon’s is a beloved meeting place and remains a lifeline for those staying in the area.

However, the rising cost of living also threatens to drive out long-standing residents.

Tameeka White, a former Rockwell Gardens tenant, is facing a rent increase of nearly $600 in just five years.

“And this is the neighborhood,” she told the WSJ, adding that her landlord attributed the increase to rising home insurance rates.

She earns $18.85 an hour as a security guard and supports several family members. With an annual income of about $40,000, she finds herself in a financial hole, earning too much for food stamps but struggling to make ends meet.

She said she is voting for Harris in the hopes that she will follow through on her promises to help working-class people with food and lower drug costs.

Eboni Humphrey, a regular customer of Moon’s since childhood, now runs a home daycare in nearby Lawndale. She picked up corned beef for herself and a breakfast plate for her uncle and shared her dream of owning her own daycare in a quieter neighborhood.

But since most of her income comes from government funding for low-income families, that goal seems out of reach. As they waited for their food, Humphrey and White swapped stories with friends.

Both expressed frustration with the economic challenges facing many Americans and questioned the allocation of government resources, particularly in light of the influx of migrants to Chicago. More than 46,000 migrants have arrived in the city since 2022, straining local services.

“There are people here who are homeless, who are living on the streets … they are people here in our country who need help,” Humphrey said. While she said she is considering voting for Trump because of his honesty, she worries that his legal position will remain an obstacle to his re-election. She is now weighing whether to support Harris.

Kortasha Jones, an employee of the 90-year-old deli who grew up in Rockwell, now has to commute long days by bus because she can’t afford to buy a new car.

“Sometimes I can take an Uber or Lyft, but it’s kind of expensive,” she said.

Due to rising food prices, she has to eat less and stretch her meals as long as possible.

Jones would like to see a woman president, but fears Harris still won’t follow through on her word. She said she wants a glimmer of hope.

Adrian Buford, a customer at Moon’s who admits she is not politically involved, said she plans to vote for Harris “so that people in poverty get the same shake as everyone else.”

As the last customers of his lunch break left, Radek sat down on a stool at the bar and listed the problems his small business was facing.

Chicago’s minimum wage, which increases annually at 2.5% or the rate of inflation (whichever is lower), just rose to $16.20 an hour.

Radek plans to sell Moon’s next year and retire at age 75. Although he has little faith in either political party, he’s sending a message to the DNC convention attendees: “Tell the revolutionaries to come by for a sandwich.”