Jim’s Original Could Stay In Maxwell Street Area ‘For Years’ Under New Deal With UIC

NEAR WEST SIDE — Jim’s Original is not packing up and moving to Pilsen just yet.

In early May, the hot dog stand — a Maxwell Street area institution since 1939 — announced it would be closing by June 30 and moving to Pilsen this fall to make room for a development on the University of Illinois Chicago campus. Over the years, Jim’s has moved two times within the Maxwell Street area due to UIC’s expansion and development.

But on Tuesday, the university and Jim’s agreed on a lease extension for the building at 1250 S. Union Ave. that will allow the hot dog stand to stay put for the foreseeable future, Jim Christopoulos, the stand’s third-generation owner, said. 

“UIC now wants us to stay until we want to leave, or until some more concrete development plans are in play, not just prospective future development,” Christopoulos said. While he did not disclose the exact terms of the lease, he said they were “reasonable.” 

A UIC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday but said in an email last week the university and Jim’s were negotiating the lease extension.

“I’m excited,” Christopoulos said. “It puts us several years out. We will have time to get the new space built out and let the transition occur naturally over the next few years.”  

Jim’s Original will eventually take over a building that used to be the diner Ken Tone’s Drive-In, 551 W. 18th St., which Christopoulos purchased in March. Christopoulos also plans to return the business to being open 24 hours.

The initial announcement of Jim’s move out of the Maxwell Street area sparked a flurry of reactions. In a Facebook video, Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) blasted the university for pushing out such an iconic small business that’s been credited with inventing the Polish sausage sandwich. 

Some Pilsen neighbors, meanwhile, were similarly surprised by Jim’s announcement and held a town hall meeting in a park June 3 to protest the move, raising concerns about traffic, cleanliness and safety of a 24-hour hot dog stand, Fox32 reported. 

“Bringing in this hot dog stand would be the biggest mistake you ever made,” said one attendee. 

Following the announcement, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) said he met with a group of concerned Pilsen neighbors. 

“This is a family-oriented community, with a lot of seniors in the area,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “They are concerned about their quality of life. It’s our hope that we find a solution for the neighbors and for the business.”

In response to their concerns, Christopoulos said Jim’s will provide on-site security and regular trash pickup when the hot dog stand eventually moves to its new Pilsen location.

“We are aware of the concerns expressed at a recent neighborhood meeting and we take our neighbors seriously,” Christopoulos said in a press release. “We also believe that once residents see our operation firsthand, many of those concerns will be put to rest.”