First dogs, now hot dogs hit Depot District (posted on mysurbanlife.com Jan 11, 2010)
By Adam Rosen, arosen@mysuburbanlife.com

Berwyn, IL —
No matter if it is the ’80s or early ’10s, Brian Mahoney and Gianni Pincente are hanging out in the Depot District, albeit for completely different reasons.
Mahoney and Pincente, owners of Brando’s Beef, 6838 Windsor Ave., grew up blocks away from the Depot District.“When I grew up here, this was the place to be,” Mahoney said.
A few years ago, Mahoney made his lifelong dream of owning his own hot dog stand come alive, but it did not come easy.

The pair spent nearly two years and thousands of dollars to gut the interior of the building and repair three pages of code violations. What once was a small bar area with an apartment in the back of the first floor was transformed into a full-service kitchen with the assistance Depot District tax increment financing funding.

The two Morton West High School graduates added a canopy with the shop’s name and new facade to the exterior. Nearly two years after they took ownership of the building, Brando’s opened for business shortly before Thanksgiving.
Two months later, Mahoney said the time and effort put in has been worth the wait, serving Italian beef sandwiches, hamburgers, pizza, and hot dogs along with catering various events.“We’re doing the extra steps that people appreciate,” Mahoney said. “We don’t take the little things for granted.”

-Notable
Mahoney and his staff cook and slice more than 60 pounds of beef every other day for their Italian beef sandwiches.

-& quotable
“If we weren’t so stubborn we would have quit a long time ago,” Mahoney said.

-On the Web
Brando’s has a Facebook page and a Web site at brandosbeef.com.

Favorites
HOBBIES Coaching little league and basketball

TELEVISION SHOW “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”

MOVIES “Caddyshack,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Sixteen Candles”

BASEBALL TEAM Chicago White Sox

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