ED’S BEGINNINGS
Ed Debevic was born in a small midwestern town to a blue collar couple who went by the names of Ed’s Mom and Ed’s Dad. As a child, little Eddie would sit up late at night reading by the light of a single lantern. He would get lost in comic books and stories about super heroes and time machines, long after his mom would tell him to go to sleep. His imagination would reel with ideas of freezing time so that he could stay young forever, because little Eddie never wanted to grow up! Like Peter Pan or Tom Sawyer, he believed that if you grew up, you would forget how to have fun.
Despite how hard he tried, Little Eddie grew older, and at the tender age of 10, moved with his parents from the farming town of Plainsville, to the sleepy town of Talooca, Illinois. It was here that Eddie happened to meet Lil, the owner of Lil’s Homesick Diner. Lil was a practical woman, and during the depression, learned the value of a dollar. She also knew that when people of that era could afford go out – which wasn’t often – they wanted good food, plenty of it, and they wanted it at a good price. Lil’s favorite motto was “If you like what you’re eatin’, order more. If you don’t like it, there’s the door.”
Lil was getting older, but she was still dishing out the best burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast that anyone had ever had. As diner grew busier, Lil relied on Eddie, now a teenager, to help out when the restaurant got hectic. Eddie admired Lil, and as he worked alongside her, he paid close attention to every little thing she said and did. Not one word was wasted on Eddie, who was now entertaining thoughts of one day opening his own place. Eddie realized that he was having fun working with Lil, and the diner soon became a second home to him. In fact, it had become the place he loved most! Ed’s mom was grateful to Lil for not only giving Eddie a job, but keeping him out of trouble. To show her appreciation, she gave Lil her very own Biscuits and Gravy recipe – a family secret of the Debevic’s! Lil put it on the menu as “Ed’s Mom’s Biscuits and Gravy,” and it quickly became the hottest dish in the diner.
ED GETS TO ROCKIN’ & ROLLIN’
When Ed wasn’t at Lil’s Diner, he was out bowling with his friends or going to the Passion Pit drive-in with his lady, Edna. By now, Rock and Roll had the nation’s youth in its grasp, despite their parents’ ongoing protest. Fellas were wearing slicked back hair with cuffed jeans, and the girls were chrome plated in their poodle skirts and saddle shoes. Ed believed that there was no greater time to be alive! Whether he was cruising with his buddies in his ‘57 Bel Air convertible, or playing backseat bingo with Edna, he was happy. Times were good, the music was blarin’, and the burgers were bangin’.
Time went on, as it does, and Lil got to be too old to keep up with the diner. On a cold November day in 1972, she served the last plate of Biscuits and Gravy to a truck driver on his way to Minneapolis. Lil cleaned up the kitchen, turned off the signs, and locked up – the same way she had for the past 40 years. She turned the key in the lock for the last time, hitched a ride out of town, and just like that, Lil’s Diner was closed.
After Lil left, Ed knew it was time to find his own path. He left the town of Talooca and moved to Chicago on a quest for his next gig. Chicago was very different from the sleepy town of Talooca, but Ed loved the hustle and bustle of the big city. Though the buildings were taller and the lights were brighter, Ed knew one thing stayed the same: people still wanted good food, plenty of it, and they wanted it at a good price. Over the next several years, Ed went from one restaurant to another, saving up as much money as he could, with the hopes that one day he could open his very own place.
ED’S DREAM
Ed was working as a cook in a small Chicago restaurant, and had just finished closing down the kitchen after a busy night. He took the train home, tired from a long day, and immediately fell asleep. That night, Ed had a dream that would change Chicago history forever.
Blue flashes of neon lights spun around his fantasy-filled mind. He gazed into the bright abyss to determine where the light was coming from, and that’s when he saw it – his very own name, “Ed Debevic’s” lit up in a blazing blue neon light. He had never seen something so wonderful! It glowed like a beacon in the night sky, beckoning people from far & wide to come and see what all the commotion was about. He approached the entrance of this miraculous structure, and was greeted by two massive stainless steel doors. Ed knew he had to go inside, but even in his wildest dreams, couldn’t have imagined what would be waiting for him on the other side.
It was Lil’s Diner, just like he remembered – only better! Rock and Roll roared through the juke box, and customers tapped their feet as they enjoyed the comfort of Lil’s classic recipes. Everyone was having a blast! His friends from long ago, clad in the finest 50’s & 60’s threads, were waiting tables. There was his buddy Spaz, a nosebleed he knew from high school, placing a cherry on top of a milkshake behind the counter. There was Babs, a beauty school drop-out giving an elderly woman a makeover in a booth. Then there was Chet, a two-time all American football hero, flirting with some babes at table, flexing his muscles as they giggled. Vinny was taking folks’ orders; a greaser that Ed grew up with who was always cruisin’ for a bruisin’. Ed instantly recognized Suzy, Chet’s steady girlfriend of almost two years, who was too busy practicing her cheers to notice that her main squeeze was blatantly wooing other dollies. And then… he saw her, glowing brighter than the neons that adorned the wall. She was even more beautiful than he remembered! It was Edna, Ed’s steady girlfriend from almost thirty years ago. She pranced over to Ed and lovingly whispered in his ear “Remember your promise Eddie. Don’t let the good times die.”
Ed awoke at that exact moment, and immediately got to work. It took a couple of years, and a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but little Eddie Debevic made his dream come true! He poured a lifetime of memories and good times into his diner, and in 1984, the doors of the first Ed Debevic’s opened.
ED DEBEVIC’S OPENS
Ed made history in Chicago as the first retro style diner, serving up the best of the 1950’s. His small-town friends from Talooca were so excited, they made their way to Chicago to join him! With his pals by his side, Ed Debevic offered his menu with a side of sass – in honor of the late, great Lil. Ed and his friends believed in one thing over all else; FUN! They decided to bring a slice of charm to the big city with their choreographed song & dance routines, dropping their trays and twisting & shouting on the countertops whenever their favorite tunes came on. Once the word got out, customers would line up around the block to see the Ed’s spectacle!
With all of this success, Ed knew he wanted to share the fun with as many people as possible. He opened up locations all over Chicago, and even launched a few diners in New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Ed loved rehashing the memories of Lil’s Diner with everyone he met, and pretty soon, people were coming from all over the world to try Ed’s Mom’s Biscuits and Gravy.
TROUBLE FOR ED
Ed was running the diner of his dreams and having the time of his life. But as life goes, good things can’t last forever.
Because Ed served up his meals with a side of sass, he was used to getting attitude back from some customers. But one thing he couldn’t handle, was being called a fraud. One particular day, Ed opened the restaurant how he always did – flipping on the neons, firing up the milkshake machine, and getting the grills piping hot. The day was going smoothly; his friends were laughing and dancing as usual, and there were smiles all around the joint. But it was on this fateful day that one customer demanded to speak to Ed. He walked out of his office and approached a man sitting at the counter. The man slammed down his sundae and looked Ed dead in the eye while yelling “This is NOT the world’s smallest sundae. I’ve seen them smaller in Apalachicola, Florida!” Ed laughed it off and promised that he had the world’s smallest sundae, but the customer wasn’t convinced. The rest of the day went as usual, but Ed couldn’t shake the conversation he’d had with the man. Did he really have the world’s smallest sundae? Had he been lying to his customers this whole time, offering the 2nd or even the 3rd smallest sundae in the world? He knew what he had to do.
Ed arrived at the diner the following day, and opened the store just as he had many times before – flipping on the neons, firing up the milkshake machine, and getting the grills piping hot. The difference? This time would be the last time for a while. All of his friends began to arrive; Chet holding hands with Suzy, Babs applying her lipstick, Spaz taping his glasses together for the tenth time, and Vinny showing up five minutes late. Ed asked everyone to gather around, as he had an important announcement to make. He told his friends that the diner would be closing for awhile as he traveled the world to make sure he truly had the world’s smallest sundae. Everyone was shocked, but Ed knew he needed to do this. Lil had instilled in him that the customers always came first, and he couldn’t bear the idea that he might be lying to them. On October 4th, 2015, Ed shut and locked the doors of Ed Debevic’s for the last time. They would remain closed until he could prove that he truly did serve the world’s smallest sundae.
ED’S RE-OPENS
After traveling the world, Ed returned to Chicago in 2020, and began making moves to open his new location in Streeterville. With the help of some old friends, and a few new pals he met along the way, Ed Debevic’s announced plans to re-open in 2021, OFFICIALLY offering the World’s Smallest Sundae.
Ed wanted to keep things the way they were before he left – from the neon signs, to the classic recipes, to the cheeky, costume-adorned staff. Ed’s quirky friends have been getting ready to dish up great burgers, hot dogs, huge salads, milkshakes, ice cream sundaes, and all-day breakfast, obviously served with – you guessed it – a side order of sass! Keep your “Please” and “Thank You” to yourself, because it’s about to get rowdy at the brand new Ed Debevic’s!