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opprairie.com dining out<br />
the orland park prairie | July 19, 2018 | 27<br />
The Dish<br />
‘Pizza philanthropist’ makes food for good<br />
Chicago Dough Co.<br />
famous for pizza,<br />
being part of the<br />
community<br />
T.J. Kremer III<br />
Contributing Editor<br />
Chicago is famous —<br />
or infamous — for many<br />
things.<br />
It is known as a sports<br />
town. There is the Sears<br />
Tower (sorry, Willis). And,<br />
of course, the food.<br />
And if one were to list the<br />
foods for which the city and<br />
surrounding suburbs were<br />
most famous, pizza would<br />
surely have to be at the top<br />
of that list.<br />
In the south and southwest<br />
suburbs, one small chain has<br />
been building its reputation<br />
for gourmet pizza and distinctive<br />
dining atmosphere<br />
over more than 40 years:<br />
Chicago Dough Co.<br />
The original Chicago<br />
Dough opened in Richton<br />
Park in 1975 under the chain<br />
Pizza Inn. But, after some<br />
disagreements among the<br />
original pair of owners, they<br />
decided to split. And Chicago<br />
Dough was born in 1976,<br />
according to New Lenox location<br />
owner Tim Waters.<br />
The move to focus on<br />
a better quality pizza has<br />
paid off, as Chicago Dough<br />
has become a staple in the<br />
Chicago area, perhaps best<br />
known for its daily lunch<br />
buffets from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.,<br />
Monday-Friday, and 11:30<br />
a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturdays<br />
and Sundays (adults $8.99,<br />
children 12 and younger<br />
$4.49). The buffet features<br />
unlimited trips to the salad<br />
bar, which includes 27 items;<br />
chicken wings; homemade<br />
soup; 6-9 samples of pizza<br />
from the menu at any given<br />
time; as well as seasonal or<br />
Pictured is the inside of Chicago Dough Co. in New Lenox.<br />
Chicago Dough Co.<br />
1080 E. Lincoln Highway<br />
in New Lenox<br />
Hours<br />
• 11 a.m.-10 p.m.<br />
Monday-Thursday<br />
• 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday<br />
• 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.<br />
Saturday<br />
• 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.<br />
Sunday<br />
For more information ...<br />
Web: chicagodough.com<br />
Phone: (815) 462-3900<br />
trial pizzas not on the menu,<br />
such as the pulled pork pizza<br />
with a glazed cabbage topping,<br />
or chili chicken and<br />
cilantro. Of course, there is<br />
also dessert pizza, topped<br />
with fruit, cinnamon or peanut<br />
butter.<br />
And that is just for lunch.<br />
There is also the twice-aweek<br />
dinner buffet from<br />
4:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays<br />
and Wednesdays (adults<br />
$10.99, children 12 and<br />
younger $4.99). Evening<br />
buffets still feature the salad<br />
bar and pizzas, but also include<br />
Italian beef on Mondays<br />
and chicken wings on<br />
Wednesdays.<br />
Waters said he prides himself<br />
on bringing the best ingredients<br />
to the table. The<br />
bread and dough are made<br />
without any bromated or<br />
bleached flour. The restaurant<br />
buys locally and organically<br />
whenever possible, and<br />
most everything edible is<br />
prepped daily to ensure the<br />
highest level of freshness<br />
possible.<br />
“I wouldn’t serve anything<br />
I wouldn’t eat myself,”<br />
Waters said.<br />
But, as good as the food is<br />
at Chicago Dough, it might<br />
be overshadowed by the<br />
good Waters does for New<br />
Lenox on behalf of the restaurant.<br />
Chicago Dough, since its<br />
opening in New Lenox in<br />
2007, has donated free food<br />
to countless number of fundraisers,<br />
events, and even<br />
people and families who<br />
have experienced some sort<br />
of unexpected hardship or<br />
tragedy. Some of the recipients<br />
of Waters’ philanthropy<br />
include St. Jude Catholic<br />
Church, New Lenox<br />
baseball and football, area<br />
schools, and the New Lenox<br />
Fire Protection District.<br />
“If there’s somebody in<br />
this town who has a real<br />
need, we’ll step up and try<br />
to do something for them,”<br />
Waters said. “If you have a<br />
real need, and you’re getting<br />
the short end of the stick, so<br />
to speak, and if a pizza will<br />
Chicago Dough New Lenox owner Tim Waters (left) and chef Ernesto Lopez prepare a pizza<br />
for the daily lunch buffet. Photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media<br />
Chicago Dough’s salad bar features 27 items and is included in both lunch and dinner<br />
buffets, or can be added to any meal for $4.99.<br />
help you out, then I’m more<br />
than happy to give you a<br />
pizza.<br />
“I’m just interested in<br />
helping people.”<br />
And at the end of the day,<br />
that sense of civic responsibility<br />
— and the pizza —<br />
is what separates Chicago<br />
Dough from the rest. And<br />
Waters said he is currently<br />
looking for someone to help<br />
him carry that mantle, as<br />
he has been managing and<br />
owning Chicago Dough locations<br />
for 40 years. He said<br />
he is looking for the right<br />
person who wants to carry<br />
on the legacy of a smalltown<br />
pizza place known for<br />
not only serving the best to<br />
its customers but also serves<br />
as a business role-model for<br />
the community.
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