I had to write after I saw Nick's horrible review. Obviously if everything isn't perfect because you don't understand what is it is specialize in a few amazing items, the place must to ruined for you. Â This place is an institution and is worth the 1.5 hour drive that many people make because it is that special. Â The sauce is amazing and a highly guarded and prized secret and I have never been disappointed. I truly recommend those who have had a "bad" experience to try it again without the reservations that a place has to have the most 5 start customer service when they are selling 2 dollar hot dogs at a walk up cash only place. Â Don't go here if you want health food, or if you expect to be highly catered to. Go if you want a great simple low cost meal surrounded by good people who want to enjoy the simple delicious pleasures like a great hot dog and a mug of root beer.
Review Source:I have wanted to come here for quite a while, but have not been around at lunch. I get up to the window and I knew I wanted, a beef and fries and that is what I ordered. I was asked with what kind of peppers and I waited. Two people came and went as I stood there. Then I heard the cook say something about the beef and the women who took my order said then sausage. I get my sausage and fries and I immediately said I ordered the beef. She gave me a look and said, NO! You ordered the sausage, thanks! And went on to help another customer. Now I would have put up a stink, but I wouldn't have trusted the food that came out of that window after that. It was a good sausage, but it wasn't what I wanted. And the fries were warm grease sticks. I would have gone back to try their other offerings. But it seems from my observation of watching the window as I ate. That if you are a regular, you get treated with some respect. If you are a stranger, you can give them your money and then go screw yourself. Just an FYI. That sausage would have better served the broad who tried to take care of me.
Review Source:I know I will get a lot of hate for this 2 star review since this is a local institution but I think the food is terrible. The hot dogs taste like the cheapest selection you can find at a discount grocery store and their special sauce tastes like watered down sugar ketchup. My husband really likes it here, but I refuse to eat there. It could be that I am from Chicago and used to really good hot dogs, burgers, beef sandwiches and the like but I honestly don't see the draw to this place. I am giving it 2 stars instead of 1 though because the couple of times my husband has drove through with me in the car the service has been very pleasant and their prices are decent.
Review Source:A bunch of friends and I drove down this way to watch the Chi - Bears training camp. As we gassed up the car across the street a friend of mine pointed this place out, so we decided to hit it up for a quick bite. I looked over the menu board but I saw no sign of a cheeseburger, so I ask the girl taking orders if they serve burgers. Apparently this "drive in" does not serve cheeseburgers, umm yeah. Â Here is my brief attempt in ordering.
Rude girl: Â Ok you can order now? Â
(wtf, kind of greeting is that)
Me: Â Â Â Â Do you serve cheeseburgers.
Rude girl: Â Â Â Â Whaaaaat
Me: Cheeseburgers, do you have cheeseburgers?
Rude girl: Â Â We don't have those...so (as she rolls her eyes)?
My friends and I were all treated like crap. As we waited for our order we witnessed the employees treat people they knew (local yokels) with some civility while treating others like crap. Also, just by observing the peeps working at this dump you sense they are related x's 10.
All of our food came out at the same time. Considering we ordered 4 orders of fries I requested extra ketchup. Airhead hands me 2 packets of generic no name ketchup and just proceeds to walk away. I wait for the other girl to finish up with a customer and ask for more ketchup, she unenthusiastically placed a couple more packets on the dirty counter and away she went yelling at the cooks. One packet for each order of fries and 2 hours later my stomach hurt. My friends had no stomach pains it must have been my italian beef. Another thing, anyone that has eaten an italian beef would know they are served with sweet or gardenia peppers. Well the geniuses here ask if you want mild or hot, so I ask airhead if mild = sweet peppers, she repeats mild or hot while rolling her eyes. I ordered mild, well they serve pepperoncini peppers as mild which is sacrilege. If you know italian beefs and have eaten them all over chicago like myself you are well aware that no one serves pepperoncini with an italian beef.
Between the congenital staff, below average food and terrible service you could not pay me to visit this crap hole again.
Well, on a nice day it doesn't get better than this. Â A dozen picnic benches that are shaded by a group of lovely trees. Â Very comfortable.
As to the food, pretty good, the hot dogs could have used something extra - I should have gotten the chili and cheese like the other reviewers recommended. Â The root beer was quite delicious. Â Fries were decent.
If any of Food Network's shows make it to our area, I'm determined that they'll stop by Jaenicke's.
Their hot dogs are amazing, and while I'm not a fan of the sauce, I can definitely see where it would appeal to a lot of people. For me, the sandwiches are the way to go. Whether it's an Italian Beef, Meatball Sandwich, or the Chicken Tenderloin... you can't go wrong!
My wife is a fan of the root beer, we both love the green river, and I swear that you can't get a better cherry coke in the area.
The ONLY drawback I can think of is that you need to make sure you've got cash, as that's the only tender they accept. Still a five star in my book!
MMMM, Jaenicke's. Some of the best chili dogs ever. The sauce is so sweet and yummy.
I remember growing up in Kankakee and going to the Jaenicke's Drive-In for chili dogs, sauce buns (no dog), and root beer. They had the best root beer.
If you find yourself in Bourbonnais and see the orange drive through that is Jaenicke's..STOP! Get a chili hot and a root beer.