Second-generation family restaurant Soul Veg City is opening a second location in South Shore, located at 1536 E. 75th St.
The new eatery will focus on grab-and-go meals ideal for families and employees on their lunch break. This became possible when owners Lori Seay and her brother Arel Israel received $207,540 from the Chicago Recovery Plan Community Development Grant, an initiative that helps 26 city projects and businesses continue to survive through the pandemic. Seay tells What Now Chicago she expects to open the new locations sometime in Fall 2022. This will become a perfect option for the workers and visitors of Jackson Park Hospital.
“We’re in a perfect location,” Seay tells Block Club Chicago. “The traffic is good, the diversity is there and we’re excited because we know we offer a great product. It’ll be available for a whole new area, demographic, and community.”
Seay’s parents first opened the restaurant in 1981, originally naming it Soul Vegetarian East. The family wanted to bring healthier food options to the area that are still delicious to eat. Some of the restaurant’s popular items include vegan quesadillas, buffalo cauliflower wings, pizza, candied yams and stir fry. In 2017, the owners received a $250,000 Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant to redevlop the original Chatham location at 203 E. 75th St.
This new South Side location will look a little different than the original location. The restaurant will focus on a limited selection of healthy pre-packaged meals that range from individual to family-sized. Some of items on Soul Veg City’s new menu will include a panini, bowl of soup, or vegan milkshakes. Customers will have the option to eat anything ordered in-house, only a few blocks away from Rosenblum Park.
“You’ll have the greens, the barbecue, mac and cheese and broccoli already made in a refrigerated section so you can go home and pop it in the oven,” Seay tells the publication. “We’ll also have our meat substitutes ready and frozen. Our ice cream will be prepackaged, too.”
