Fey Endorsement Boosts Restaurant's Business
CHICAGO (CBS) - Business is reportedly booming at the Athenian Room Greek restaurant in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, after a widely-viewed endorsement by Tina Fey.
The "30 Rock" star and "Saturday Night Live" Sarah Palin impersonator recently produced a video for the Web site Hulu, in which she answered a question about her favorite Chicago restaurants.
"You need to go to a place called the Athenian Room on Webster," Fey said in the video. "You need to order the roasted chicken. It's cooked on a spit. It comes on a bed of steak fries and the chicken juice gets into the fries. Unbelievable."
Schmich reported that the restaurant, at 807 W. Webster Ave., has been filling up. On Sunday, a line formed outside and people crammed in as they tried to escape the rain.
"God bless her," owner Alex Polakis said of Fey, according to Schmich.
The Athenian Room has been in business since 1972, and is also known for its salads and kabobs, and its summertime patio. It is connected to the neighboring Glascott's Groggery tavern through a side door.
Fey also offered some other endorsements in the clip. She also suggested the hot veal, hobo skillet, and British breakfast at the Golden Apple Diner, a 24-hour restaurant at 2971 N. Lincoln Ave. She suggested that a night waitress named Donna would remember her.
The Golden Apple gained widespread notoriety back in 2000, when the public radio program "This American Life" documented 24 hours at the restaurant. The producers of the program spoke to early-morning customers, couples working out problems, police officers, and late-night patrons who had been out for a good time.
Fey also mentions the Walker Bros. Pancake House, which has six locations in the north and northwest suburbs; Muskie's hot dog stand at 2878 N. Lincoln Ave., and the Jimmy John's sandwich chain.
Jimmy John's "I like Jimmy John's better than Potbelly's – take that, Chicago!" Fey said. "I just sent a ripple through the Chicago sandwich community!"
