It all started in the early 2000's when Jimmie and his family opened up a pizza place "Nana's Pizzeria" in Mundelein, Illinois. Nana's was named after his mother Debbie, known as "Nana" to her grandchildren. The pizza place was an absolute hit, bringing in customers from all over the Chicago-land area. Since closing the pizzeria, Jimmie has always said, "If we ever open another family restaurant, I will have a menu with a select few of my all time favourite sandwiches and try to just 'Keep It Simple, Stupid' (KISS)."
Born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Jimmie always had a love for Chicago-style food, and despite the closing of the pizzeria, he could not stay out of the food industry. Shortly after the pizzeria, he landed himself in the bread business working for Gonnella Baking Co. in Chicago. He started off as a delivery driver and eventually was given an opportunity at a sales position. It didn't take long before he was developed relationships with the best of the best beef stands.... Johnnie's, Mickey's Drive-In, Al's, Tore & Lukes, The Patio and Chickies (just to name a few 😉). After working for Gonnella for several years, Jimmie parted ways with the bread business and began working for Bari Foods in South Elgin as a sales manager. Since working for Bari, he has acquired the name "Jimmie The Beef Guy" and many consider him a beef connoisseur!
Over the last several years, Jimmie has traveled to Florida for work and constantly heard of the need for a true Chicago-style beef stand. Thinking about what a fantastic idea a beef stand in Florida would be, an even more fantastic idea would be to do so alongside his son. Fast forward to October of 2020, Jimmie, his wife, Michelle, and Quentin, moved to Bonita Springs, FL. Less than a year later, the conversation of opening a restaurant started again. Jimmie and Quentin were completely invested in this idea and were ready to get started. Jimmie's wife, Michelle and daughters, Halie and Elaina (who remain living in the midwest) were ecstatic and very supportive of this news. They plan to be apart of as much as they can to help out the family business.
With true inspiration from Chicago restaurants and distributors, Jimmie The Beef Guy is here to offer you delicious, mouthwatering sandwiches. Jimmie is co-owner of the business with his son, Quentin. They both share a true passion for good food and are excited to share this passion with you! To this day, Jimmie still works for Bari Foods, and will continue doing so to bring that famous Italian Beef to restaurants all over Florida as he did back in the Midwest. His plan is to help Quentin get Jimmie the Beef Guy off the ground and give him the reigns to bring this restaurant to a whole other level. Multiple locations coming soon?? Let's do it! 💪🏼