Today we’d like to introduce you to Sebastien Bensidoun.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My family’s history in indoor and outdoor food markets dates back four generations when my great-grandfather opened the first family market in Algeria when it was part of France. My grandfather and great-uncle took the concept to France in the late 1940’s and my father expanded throughout France, where the company now has 80+ markets.
I came to America when I was 4 years old because of heart issues and on our way to the Mayo Clinic we stopped in Chicago. I fell in love with the city at a young age. I joined my family’s business full time at age 19, working in the corporate office, visiting our markets a few times a week and managing a market with 150 vendors for years on my own. I helped champion a move in the U.S. starting in Chicago in 1996 with our first outdoor market in Wheaton. At this time, “organic” and farm to table wasn’t BIG and our success was slow. After great stories in the Chicago Tribune and WGN, vendors came rushing in. We always wanted to open an indoor market and were approached by the Metra Market partners to create what is now the Chicago French Market (December 3, 2009) together.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Unfortunately, breaking into the U.S. market has not been a smooth ride. The Chicago French Market opened in 2009, which was not the best time to open a business anywhere. Our goal was to create a year-round, indoor market with a mix of fresh and prepared foods, non-food items like flowers and gifts, modeled after our hugely successful markets in France. Finding the right mix of vendors was tough and I traveled all over the Midwest to meet with potential vendors. In America, there aren’t as many fishmongers or butchers so attracting those vendors was a challenge. It’s all about creating the right balance and we rejected some vendors along the way. Today, we have great traffic and average 7,000 visitors each day.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Chicago French Market – what should we know?
We are incredibly proud of where we are today. The Chicago French Market has been listed in Yelp as #1 and well-known publications in Chicago and throughout the U.S. have covered us. The Chicago French Market was the first indoor food hall in Chicago, and we have a great mix of cuisines from around the world catering to everyone’s taste and budget. We always have new vendors interested in being part of our Market, which is a great testament to its success. There have been a lot of late nights working, as I am based in Paris and overseeing our Markets in Chicago and New York. But it keeps me active and my goal is to one day move to the U.S. with my family.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We offer a great mix of vendors that cater to just about every taste and budget. It’s all about creating the right balance and we have a variety of cuisines.
Contact Info:
- Address: 131 N Clinton, Chicago, IL 60661
- Website: http://frenchmarketchicago.com
- Phone: 312.575.0306
- Email: chicagofrenchmarket@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chifrenchmarket/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoFrenchMarket/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-french-market-chicago
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