Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Forster.
Christine, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My partner Axel and I started Smack Dab in May 2015 as a pastry and coffee pop up in the hallway of a Rogers Park bar. We were struck by the need for more good, clean food in Rogers Park and wanted to test the waters to see if the neighborhood would respond. I come from more of a front of house/service background and felt compelled to open a place where all people felt truly seen and welcomed.
Often times, a cafe can do everything “right” but still lack that warmth and human connection we all long for. Having a food business was also an outlet for us to support social justice causes we care about–from Black Lives Matter to local non-profits to food pantries, Smack Dab has donated over $15,000 to various organizations doing amazing work in our communities.
At first, we kept the pop up really simple–locally brewed Halfwit coffee and handmade sweet and savory pastry (with an emphasis on using all organic, non-GMO flours with gluten-free and vegan options). We spent that first year trying out a large number of products to see what people wanted; we had a completely different menu than we do now, with the exception of our cheesy herb biscuit… that product was and continues to be our most popular item, hands down.
Our original pop up space opened directly onto the street where the Glenwood Farmers Market is held every Sunday, so by the end of summer 2015, Smack Dab was getting noticed. In addition to small batch vegan donuts that we fresh fried every morning, we had begun making our Life Changing Egg Biscuit Sandwiches–a fresh scrambled egg on a split and toasted cheesy herb biscuit.
The word started to spread about our pop up and we began getting lines out the door on weekends. The Rogers Park community is such a unique community–very diverse and super supportive of small businesses–and we were thrilled to realize that people were picking up what we were putting down! We began the hunt for a space of our own in the neighborhood while continuing as a pop up four days a week.
Flash forward to almost three years later and in addition to a weekend pop up, we now have a permanent location on Clark Street that opened in April 2017. The biscuit sandwich is still what most of our customers come for, but we also have a full espresso and savory menu with a selection of vegan and gluten-free options so diners of all kinds can enjoy a meal here.
We aim to keep the friendly, intimate feel of our original pop up as we continue to grow into longer daytime hours and a nighttime pizza program set to launch end of April 2018. We love making great food, but even more than that, we love serving great food to great people. We are excited to see what lies ahead for Smack Dab, and how we can continue to contribute to our wonderful community!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think any restaurant business can be described as smooth, but certainly, being a pop upheld some unique challenges. For a long time, I was getting up at 3 am, meeting another baker at a shared space kitchen to meet another baker, baking pastry, frying donuts, cleaning up an entire kitchen, packing all the goods, and heading to our pop up, all before 7 am.
We started Smack Dab with $5000 and just the two of us; there were no loans, no fall back plans, or outside funds to rely on. In retrospect, I have no regrets, but it is certainly not the norm for food businesses opening in Chicago.
Finding affordable kitchen space is not easy and it was a stressful time before we found our permanent location on Clark. We had been to see so many spaces, and none of them, for various reason, worked out.
Even though there were times where exhaustion had set in and the fate of Smack Dab was unclear, having a truly supportive community of customers and neighbors helped us through those rough patches and kept us motivated to press onward. We’ve also had amazing folks on our staff who have supported our vision and business.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Smack Dab – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Even though we’re a food business, I truly believe we are most known for the love we infuse into our work–from the space to the service, to the dishes we serve. We specialize in casual, approachable breakfast and brunch foods, with a specific focus on using organic, non-GMO flours and sugars, plus local ingredients when possible. We began as a bakery-centric concept, but have gradually shifted our focus to more savory options and a full menu.
I am most proud of our ability to create positive change in our community and our industry. The food and service industry, while changing, is still inundated with sexism, racism, homophobia and transphobia. For most of us, it is not a safe or pleasant work environment–it can be straight up hostile unless you’re a straight white man with a formal culinary training background. In addition to being morally wrong, it’s a shame, because it means a lot of talent ends up leaving the food world.
When we opened Smack Dab, we saw it as an opportunity to not only welcome but actively seek out folks of all genders, ages, shades and sizes to work on our team. We encourage women, queer and trans/gender-non-conforming folks, and people of color to join our staff and apply for management and leadership roles. I think it’s a powerful thing, for customers to see people like themselves working for a company that celebrates who they are and our diverse experiences as humans.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now, our main focus is on expanding our savory menu, widening our customer base, and rolling out our night time program, which will be primarily pizza. We’ve found it’s best to let changes happen gradually and organically.
Both myself and Axel have so much enthusiasm and so many ideas that sometimes it can be difficult to focus on just one, but we’ve gotten better with practice. As someone once told us, “more businesses die from indigestion than starvation.” That really resonated, and since getting that advice, we always ask ourselves if we are biting off more than we can chew!
Ultimately, we are tossing around the idea of a Rogers Park based restaurant group, but for now, we are excited about Smack Dab’s potential to keep growing and evolving at our Clark location.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6730 N Clark Chicago IL 60626
- Website: smackdabchicago.com
- Phone: 872-241-9111
- Email: info@smackdabchicago.com
- Instagram: @smackdabchi
- Facebook: facebook.com/smackdabchi
- Twitter: smackdabchi
- Yelp: Smack Dab Chicago
Image Credit:
Katie Sikora Photography
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