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Originally posted: April 25, 2007
Battle of the brunch behemoths!
Is a battle of the brunch behemoths brewing in Roscoe Village? If you've seen New on the Scene this morning, you may have noticed Orange on Roscoe is taking over the recently closed Brett's in Roscoe Village in May. That location, a few doors west of that other brunch favorite, Kitsch'n on Roscoe, will serve dinner as well as brunch (and should be the first Orange with a liquor license). But we wonder if they're trying to eat the 8-year-old Kitsch'n brunch, so to speak. Both spots, after all, have dishes called Green Eggs and Ham.
The retro-themed Kitsch owner Jon Young isn't sweating it. "I feel really good about our connection to the neighborhood," he says. Plus, "we have the best beer garden in Roscoe Village. The only thing that competes with it is the outdoor space at Volo." Of course, he's a partner in Volo, along with chef Stephen Dunne, so that's not a problem. Besides, the duo is probably more focused on getting The Paramount Room, a planned upscale restaurant and bar near West Town, open by this summer.
So in this battle of the brunches, who wins? Tell us the place you like better: Orange or Kitsch'n
in Chris LaMorte, New Restaurants | Permalink
Comments
I live in RV and we could always use a new brunch space. The more the merrier!!
Posted by: Selfmademom | Apr 26, 2007 3:55:42 PM
I like having a variety of choices for restaurants, but we already have Kitsch'n. Do we really need another next door? I've heard about Orange, but I've just lost a ton of respect for them. Is this a personal vendetta or something? If this were my business I'd be pretty upset. I'd like to think the Chamber of Commerce would be concerned about such unethical, aggressive business practices. It's too bad to see this kind of cut throat behavior in Roscoe Village. This reminds me of what Starbucks does. Find a successful mom and pop business then move next door and eat away at their business knowing that your deep pockets can outlast theirs? I hate to think that this is what friendly Roscoe Village is becoming.
Posted by: Ed | Apr 26, 2007 9:45:13 PM
i lived in roscoe village for years, and nothing beats having brunch at kitcsh'n, sitting at the counter, playing with a magic 8 ball. eggs in a basket and mimosas...the best brunch of all time!
Posted by: Marie | Apr 27, 2007 3:30:28 AM
I don't really kjnow Orange, but are they seriously calling it "Orange on Roscoe", why wouldn't they just call it "Orange Roscoe Village"? With respect to the name, I think Ed's post isn't that off the mark. Play nice.
I love Kitsch'n - great staff and a nice couple from the neighborhood owns the place.
Posted by: Tony G. | Apr 27, 2007 12:36:12 PM
i think it's so ridiculous to think this is a vendetta against kitschn on roscoe. there's enough for everyone. i also don't think calling it orange on roscoe is stealing. it is orange on roscoe. stop making this bigger than it deserves to be. people need to relax and enjoy where the neighborhood is going. orange has great food and is welcome. brett's was a downer and i'm happy to have some sunshine added to our hood. the chamber has nothing to do with it. competition is healthy but can't be banned. maybe everyone will have to make their food better because they now have competition that doesn't make your stomach hurt afterwards.
Posted by: alex | Apr 27, 2007 1:26:42 PM
I say forego them both and go across the street to Victory's Banner for the best brunch in Chicago, let alone Roscoe Village. Living down the street from VB has been havoc for my waistline and heaven for my soul.
Posted by: Anna | Apr 27, 2007 3:26:34 PM
I've eaten at the other Kitsch'n locations and found their food to be only slightly better than disgusting. Orange is much better. Though I don't anticipate any trips to Roscoe Village for these chain brunch spots.
Posted by: Jim | Apr 27, 2007 5:12:16 PM
I like Kitsch'n On Roscoe and I also eat at Orange over in Lakeview every now and then...like them both, Orange for their orange coffee (best in the city IMHO) and eclectic menu, and Kitsch'n for their deeper menu and very tasty food.
Having said that, I question the motivation behind Orange using almost the exact same 3-word name as Kitsch'n On Roscoe. Kitsch'n has been around for 7 or 8 years now, and was my first introduction to green eggs and ham. When Orange opened up on Clark I noticed Orange offered green eggs and ham with a slightly different preparation. At the time I do remember thinking that they were probably copying Kitsch'n on that one.
To now see that they are moving 2 doors down from Kitsch'n On Roscoe is a non-event...I mean, Brett's was there before Kitsch'n and that place was a breakfast/brunch/dinner place too. They co-existed together.
The problem is that, according to this article, Orange is now apparently going to call themselves 'Orange On Roscoe'. If any of you don't consider that a bit unethical, I would suggest that you probably have never owned and operated your own business and dealt with legally protecting your name and image. How do you think the owners of Orange in Lakeview would feel if a breakfast/brunch place or coffee shop were to open next door and call itself 'Orange Peel'? Or 'Orange On Clark'?
There is plenty of room for another breakfast/brunch place in Roscoe Village, but in this case Orange appears to be taking the low road by opening 2 doors down from Kitsch'n On Roscoe and calling themselves 'Orange On Roscoe'.
Posted by: Rocky | Apr 27, 2007 6:10:46 PM
I live in Roscoe Village and have been to both Kitsch'n on Roscoe and Orange on Harrison. I'm excited to have another fun restaurant to go to for brunch or dinner. Additionally, I think a dinner menu with liquor at Orange would be a fun adventure. If you want other brunch options in the area, Four Moon Tavern (on Roscoe) offers some great food in a low-key tavern atmosphere. Nice outdoor seating and less crowded than Kitsch'n or Victory's Banner. Try the Crab Stacks (Benedict) or daily quiche option. Great food!
Posted by: Jessica | Apr 28, 2007 1:03:16 PM
I don't understand all the rancor ... terming it "unethical" is a joke. And are we really calling Kitch'n a "chain" brunch spot because they have one other restaurant in River North?
I'm just happy to have another good brunch place in the neighborhood.
Posted by: Dan | Apr 28, 2007 2:02:19 PM
Dan...what don't you understand, man? It's all right out in the open, plain as day. There's no rancor...just calling it as I see it. As a small business owner (NOT in the restaurant industry...I owned and operated an independent alternative record label) that has dealt with protecting my company's products, name and image, I think the fact that Orange couldn't bother to differentiate their name enough from another brunch place 1 door down speaks volumes about their ethics.
If there is a joke, it is that Orange couldn't even bother to call themselves "Orange Roscoe Village". I bet they thought of it, because it seems to me that it would be the first name to pop into the mind of any owner with multiple business locations. Why they decided to practically mirror the name being used by an already established neighborhood brunch place is, to my mind, a matter of business ethics. Or lack thereof.
Posted by: Rocky | Apr 28, 2007 5:39:53 PM
Kitsch'n is so great. If this is the same Orange that is on Clark or Broadway (I don't remember), then it is very overrated and the food kind of stinks in comparison to Kitsch'n.
Posted by: Katie Aslan | Apr 29, 2007 7:48:09 PM
Kitsch'n was definitely NOT good. I was expecting it to be really good. I was pretty dissapointed. It is definitely different, probably a little more healthy than the maintstream breakfast places but it wasn't what I expected to be called one of the best brunch/breakfast places in chicago. The food was just alrite...and do NOT get the browny batter...it was chocolate goop and we were so upset that we had to pay for something we couldnt even eat!
Posted by: Danny | Apr 30, 2007 12:06:38 AM
victory banner beats any place in roscoe village by far.
Posted by: mk | Jul 22, 2007 12:16:47 AM
very interesting, but I don't agree with you
Idetrorce
Posted by: Idetrorce | Dec 15, 2007 11:28:50 AM
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