Possible job losses at Reggio's Pizza because of loss contract with CPS

From the Bean Soup Times

Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality's Use Of ("Minority Pass-Thru Company") Is Reason Black-Owned Frozen Pizza Manufacturer Will Be Forced To Layoff 40 Hardworking Employees

Reggio's Pizza takes great pride in delivering an award-winning pizza produced in a state-of-the-art, USDA-inspected,immaculate south side facility to children in Chicago Public Schools, which provides jobs for many hard-working, honest Chicago residents.

For three (3) years running, Reggio's Pizza has won the "Most Preferred Menu Item" in the High Schools, an honor voted by the High School students. So passionate about helping students make health choices, Mr. Clark, President/CEO of Reggio's Pizza and its staff, with the assistance of General Mills, developed a whole wheat pizza crust, in an effort to promote good health among young people, consistent with First Lady Michelle Obama's focus on nutrition and obesity.

But all that may come to an end at the end of this school year, June, 2010 because Chartwells, a North Carolina-based company that up until now contracted with Reggio's to provide the pizzas to middle and high schools, has decided to end Reggio's Pizza contract. "I was led to believe that my contract was being renewed" said Mr. Clark.

Apparently a minority "pass-thru" company will be used to purchase the crust for the pizzas, which will now be assembled by CPS lunch room employees, which will shift costs from Chartwells to the CPS operating budget. Many community and religious groups are very distrubed because not only is this practice definitely unfair and possibly illegal, but will result in more job loss in the Black community, where the jobless rate is already 20-25%.

Read the entire article at http://beansouptimes.squarespace.com/business/2010/5/11/award-winning-reggios-pizza-being-cheated-out-of-a-cps-contr.html

Little Ceasar's is gone - now what?

The Little Caesar's that was at 607 E. 79th Street (the strip mall at 79th & St. Lawrence) has suddenly disappeared.

In talking with a worker at Captain Hook's 3 doors down, they said that the pizza shop had apparently dropped in business, and then seemed to move out "in the middle of the night".

When that Little Caesars first opened, the workers were friendly, and service was good. My now 5 year old daughter regularly got cookies & ballons from the staff, which was always appreciated.

But over the months, the quality went down. Pizza and crazy bread were often undercooked, the "Hot N Ready" pizzas often werent ready, and the crazy sauce containers were half-filled and cold. The books which listed free pizzas for unhappy customers seemed filled with entries.

And it seems many people weren't accepting this type of service. Otherwise, it seems strange that a place offering a family meal for $5, especially in this economy, went out of business.

Chatham survived without Little Ceasar's until 2008, and will be just fine since it left. But at least for our family, it makes the occasional pizza dinner a little less convenient.

But now where is thes best tasting pizza in the Sixth Ward?

But more important (for some) - which place now has the cheapest pizza?