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Felony Franks reopens in Chicago suburb after sign dispute leads to closing of city operation

Image from Felony Franks’ website.

The creator of the Misdemeanor Wiener, the Italian Job and the Parolish is back in business again. The fast-food business, that is.

Discouraged by a sign dispute from operating–and employing convicted felons as workers–at its former location at Jackson Boulevard and Western Avenue in Chicago, the hot dog joint known as Felony Franks has reopened in the upscale suburb of Oak Park, reports the Chicago Tribune (reg. req.).

Although still maintaining its tradition of offering a second chance to those who have served time and its branding of “Food so good, it’s criminal,” the restaurant has gone a bit more upscale to match its new setting, owner Deno Andrews tells the newspaper. The 13 full- and part-time workers at Felony Franks all have records, but “we have a limited menu with very high-quality food because we wanted to go a couple steps above other fast food restaurants,” he says.

The Felony Franks concept was sparked by the proximity of a halfway house to Andrews Paper Company, another business owned by the Andrews family. Starting in 1995, the company hired some ex-offenders soon after they were released from jail, “and we found them to be as loyal, hard-working and as reliable as anybody,” Deno Andrews says. “So over time it, sort of became a family mission to help people coming out of jail.”

His mother came up with the name for Felony Franks, when his father, Jim Andrews, opened the hot dog stand in Chicago in 2010. However, a sign dispute erupted when the local city alderman objected, contending that the restaurant concept was “glorifying criminal conduct.” Although Felony Franks eventually prevailed, the dispute left a bad taste in the Andrews’ mouths, and they decided to close it down a couple of years ago, the Tribune article explains.

The article doesn’t include any comment from Chicago or Oak Park officials.

Related coverage:

ABAJournal.com: “Felony Franks Closes Restaurant Staffed by Ex-Offenders”