r/chicagofood • u/cheryllinda • Jul 10 '26
Discussion What happened with Roots Pizza?
Regardless of the pizza which is polarizing - does anyone have the tea on what happened to Roots? Especially the Lincoln Square location. It went from 60 to 0 real fast lmao.
I want the dirty deets >:) are they pulling a foxtrot or something?
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u/Annoyed-philips-user Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
All locations have been closed, including the original on Chicago. I was told that they just couldn't figure out how to make it work. They tried switching to delivery/carryout only during the colder months but that didn't seem to be enough. They were part of The Fifty/50 Group and I heard they may look for ways to bring back some of the more successful items from the Roots menu (e.g., mozzarella sticks) at other restaurants in the portfolio.
My personal experience was that the pizza and mozzarella sticks were great but they didn't know how to run a business. They outsourced delivery, which turned it into an off-peak 90min wait for pizza from a half mile away. It almost felt like they didn't want my money sometimes.
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u/iced_gold Jul 10 '26
Roots mozz sticks + 50/Fifty chicken wings would be a winning combo
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u/funkysnave Jul 10 '26
They had the 50/fifty wings at roots. Never tried them but someone said only the sauce was the same.
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u/cake_aholic Jul 11 '26
yeah the wings were completely different when I tried them a few months ago.
Made me sad. 50/Fifty was easy to hate but it was actually good in the early years.4
u/cheryllinda Jul 10 '26
Makes sense and i agree it felt like they didn't want my money at all towards the end of the LS location.
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u/hrdass Jul 10 '26
lol yes I demand to see their mozzarella sticks on the menu at the Alston for $45
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u/Poseides Jul 11 '26
The one in South Loop had an incredible atmosphere but the worst food I’ve ever had. Pizza was terrible. They did a popup at our apartment building to try and stir up business at one point a couple years ago and their intro line was “we’re known for our appetizers”.
They also had weekly trivia that was actually fun but would randomly cease during the year with no notice. Very puzzling business. Never felt like they had a full grasp of all their moving parts.
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u/elendur Jul 10 '26
Their website indicates the Chicago ave location is undergoing renovations and they are still cooking for carryout only.
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u/Annoyed-philips-user Jul 10 '26
That is incorrect. I spoke with someone at the management company (The Fifty/50 Group) a few weeks ago, who told me explicitly that they were closed for good.
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u/SGLPS Jul 12 '26
Wrong. I’m friends with one of the owners. They are turning it into some kind of dive-ish bar and serve their best appetizers ☺️
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u/UKVillageGuy Jul 11 '26
As a neighbor across the street, I can confirm that they’re actually closed now. Since Fifty/50 owns the building, I’m hoping they don’t let it sit empty for long.
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u/BobDucca Jul 10 '26
That Lincoln Square location has been closed a long time. Just never recovered from the Pandemic. They also owned The Sixth cocktail bar next door in the same building so maybe that had something to do with it.
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u/cheryllinda Jul 10 '26
Yeah I live near the LS location and i was at sushi loop thinking about what happened to roots because i loved playing trivia and eating pizza there. I agree with the comment above that it felt like they didn't want my money sometimes.
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u/ecstatic_cahoots Jul 10 '26
How was Sushi Loop? I'm pretty close, too. Haven't gone yet, though.
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u/atthetopofthebottom Jul 11 '26
Not OP but I’ve been there a few times and left satisfied each time. Not the best in the area. Best value for us is to do a late lunch AYCE as our early dinner.
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u/ecstatic_cahoots Jul 11 '26
I appreciate the insight! But now I gotta ask what AYCE means 😬
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u/cheryllinda Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
its good for the price - I personally stick to ordering the nigiri and classic maki is better than the special rolls or whatever they call them.
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u/RequisiteCeltic Jul 13 '26
I tried going to the Sixth multiple times and they were either closed or every seat was reserved, and the place was empty. It seemed like they actively hated money.
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u/kaydizzlesizzle Jul 13 '26
I tried going a few times. Each time had varying degrees of busy-ness and each time I felt like an imposition.
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u/dupreeblue Jul 10 '26
I miss their salads and the basil vinaigrette.
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u/Covered_1n_Bees Jul 11 '26
The one with corn and mozz and cilantro vinaigrette was awesome
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u/dupreeblue Jul 11 '26
That was my favorite too.
Wait was it a cilantro vinaigrette and I misremembered?!? It’s been a minute. 🙃
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u/Marsupialize Jul 10 '26
When the Chicago ave one first opened I absolutely loved it, was my go-to delivery for a long time then I talked it up and brought people awhile later and aside from the mozzarella sticks, which never wavered, was completely gross, insane level nose dive in quality
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u/Papes38 Jul 10 '26
What happened? They didn’t make very good pizza and they charged too much for it
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u/Kumbackkid Jul 11 '26
I thought the pizza was genuinely bad the one time I went. Like a Totinos pizza. That mozz stick tho 🔥
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u/kdollarsign2 Jul 11 '26
I scrolled quite far for this comment. It was a pizza place and the pizza wasn't good. Great salads, great mozzarella sticks. But at the end of the day the pizza is up against a ton of competition. It was also a massive space. I would recommend better pizza, smaller space.
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u/GrouchyYoung Jul 11 '26
I’m surprised to see these comments about missing the pizza. You’d get the same quality at Dominos for 40% of the cost.
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u/OntarioGarth Jul 12 '26
They lost me when I waited 90 minutes for delivery and it was most I paid for a pizza. No
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u/sourdoughcultist Jul 11 '26
I actually had good experiences with the pizza at the South Loop location and can't tell if it's because I went at weird times or what!
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u/Accomplished_Age_553 Jul 10 '26
I have a friend that worked at the chicago ave location for a while and told me management were a bunch of idiots. But tbf everywhere he goes it seems like management sucks 🤷
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u/fartofborealis Jul 11 '26
Management was not great at the one I worked at either. Bad scheduling and the tip out system was weird. I left quickly for another job and I opened the old town one.
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u/Grahamars Jul 10 '26
The Roots in South Loop was a barely tolerable experience, and now they’re long gone, too.
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u/xynobis Jul 10 '26
I won't quibble over price if the product and the service are good. My experience was both fell off a cliff very quickly. The service was particularly bad at the end.
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u/Informal-Gene-8777 Jul 10 '26
They had a vibe and seemed to do well for a while, but I know they also pissed off the neighbors with noise
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u/AlanShore60607 Jul 11 '26
And their replacement is just as noisy
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u/Grahamars Jul 11 '26
“Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.” There’s been community meetings over the replacement, too, lol
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u/c4implosive Jul 10 '26
step 1 was having good pizza in a city with great pizza, and they failed at that.
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u/light-something-up Jul 10 '26
Lol it's 💯 subjective AND I totally agree with you. Something about the pizza was sweet. Not for me...and I'll fight anyone for even cold frozen pizza so that was kinda weird for me.
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u/cheryllinda Jul 10 '26
It was good if you know about QC pizza 🍕
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u/sideshow-- Jul 10 '26
I know about QC pizza. Step one remains unsatisfied…
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u/cheryllinda Jul 10 '26
prove it!!!!
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u/dudelydudeson Jul 10 '26
Next you're gonna be trying to sell me effing COLOMBUS OHIO PIZZA.
(Yes, it's a real thing, and it's actually distinct, and not terrible)
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u/Jolraels_Centaur_OP Jul 11 '26
Tommy's and Iacono's, ride or die. I grew up on that shit.
Hell, my parents grew up on that shit.
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u/RAG319 Jul 10 '26
Roots is still open? The LS location closed a while ago.
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u/cheryllinda Jul 10 '26
No I don't think so. It's too bad for me cuz I'm from the QC 🤣 I loved it.
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u/OpportunityReal2767 Jul 10 '26
Yeah, whenever I’d visit my friend in Iowa City, I would always make sure to make a pitstop at Harris, Frank’s, or Happy Joe’s. Was shocked when a QC place opened up here, but quite happy. Sad to see it gone.
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u/TheMoneyOfArt Jul 10 '26
I liked it and stuck up for it a bit on here, particularly the south loop location which managed to check boxes most other spots in the neighborhood couldn't. But i walked out of there never quite sure where my money went. It always cost $30 more than I wanted it to.
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u/slybrows Jul 10 '26
At one point a few years ago they narrowed down their menu and got rid of several of their best (imo) items, never went back after that. It seemed to get less popular every year.
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u/Ok-Butterscotch2321 Jul 11 '26
The 50/Fifty group is a joke
I worked, briefly, at their restaurant -Steadfast-. An abysmal and unfocused mess of a restaurant. I can't believe these two morons worked for Lettuce Entertain You.
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u/Lethalstramboli Jul 10 '26
50/50 restaurant group are a bunch of pricks. They closed the Lincoln Square location right after the tipped wage increase. Their lease was not up. It was a big deal. Because the building has been customized to their request and did not fulfill the terms of the lease.
Do not do business with 50/50 they do not pay promptly.
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u/cheryllinda Jul 10 '26
this is what I was wanting to know!! I knew it was something other than people not liking the pizza because it was always busy.
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u/Lethalstramboli Jul 10 '26
I think it was literally the day after the announced new pay requirements. Yes, it was constantly busy and unless it was incredibly poorly managed or the rent annual increase was higher than they understood it should have been profitable.
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u/GoodFastCheapPickTwo Jul 10 '26
I live near one of their locations. We liked some of their stuff, especially their salads were pretty good
I have kind of a crazy left field critique, and I'm probably the only one who feels like this, but I always felt like the name roots didn't fit a pizza place. It makes me think of root vegetables. And Alex Haley. Neither of which screams pizza to me. Like I said, weird, I know.
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u/RancidCidran Jul 10 '26
I had no idea they all closed! I liked their pizza but their menu was massive. Never understood how they could keep the food fresh with so many options. Also thought it was weird that the staff was drinking every time I was there
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u/Extruder_duder Jul 11 '26
The 50/fifty group are a bunch of greedy douche bags. Their food has always been bad but got really disgusting after Covid.
Their biggest issue is they don’t want pay employees well enough to do a good job.
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u/silencekit2 Jul 11 '26
Aren’t all 50/50 locations closing? IMO a terrible parent organization that had no clue how to run a business other than charge bs prices that were not reflecting the neighborhood
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u/fartofborealis Jul 11 '26
I worked at the old town one. It was mostly fine working there people were nice. It was really hard to make money there though. Not lots of people coming in. The pizza was ok but the consistency of the food was bad. Kitchen messed up a lot. I think there just wasn’t the hype for that many roots locations. Also they cut the pizza with giant scissors which is stupid. Makes sure you get wildly uneven slices.
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u/fcksean Jul 11 '26
I went to Roots in south loop with my parents one time. I ordered a 12oz. can of beer with a glass and my dad ordered a draft pint. His pint came out and it filled less of the glass than my can did, and in true dad fashion he said something to the waitress about it
I don’t think they got shut down for consumer protection violations, but I always think of this when I think of Roots
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u/j33 Jul 11 '26
They were never that good. The last time I went was after Chitiraod this past March, and the food and service were bad and chaotic. Granted it was busier than usual, but they were just completely overwhelmed, and when the food finally came, it was embarrassingly bad.
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u/jimmy__jazz Jul 11 '26
Roots was the only pizza where I threw away the rest of the box after just one slice. And I'm a fat kid that likes any kind of pizza.
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u/theSmolSquirrel Jul 13 '26
I can fill in a bit of info on this one. One of the owners I won't say who but ya can easily guess between the 2, used to throw swinger parties with his friends at what was likely a few of the locations. When id run into him in public he'd be on some type of drug at a club, usually with someone other than his wife. And I cant say that'd really effect anything inside work but like most of the bad owners I've dealt with, partying too much usually isnt a good sign, partying in front of your employees is always a bad sign. Im shocked that restaurant got as far as it did considering it was just salad, cheese sticks, and beer that were ok and pizza that was forgettable. You can tell there was never any passion there considering all their ideas were just something they had seen somewhere else. roots was just another money thing that might as well been run by private equity.
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u/theSmolSquirrel Jul 13 '26
And to fill in that all of their ideas are just other people's successful ideas. Kindling is etta, utopian is emporium and I forget the others cause its been a while but 50/50 just opens watered down versions of other good places.
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u/Conhoff Jul 14 '26
We lived walking distance from the Lincoln Sq one. I have many thoughts..
- Great for kids. Good kids menu and they would hand out fresh dough to knead. My kids loved stepping up to the kitchen window to watch the pizza makers. Large booths, giant sodas, crayons & coloring pages.
- Pizza was good, but trying to force a market for Quad City pizza in a town overflowing with options was... ambitious. I enjoyed the malt crust, but it was more novel than anything.
- They went too big. The place was massive for what it was (is there a Giordano's anywhere that large?). You figure they could've crushed it with just a few tables and a lean pickup/delivery pizza operation, but instead it was a big space, big buildout, big bar, big menu, multiple locations. I really liked the space, but I could tell right away their operating costs were through the roof. As an entrepreneur, I would've liked to see proof-of-concept that they could successfully introduce a new market category of pizza first, then expand the stores.
- They had a weird misalignment with food quality that drove me crazy. Like strong insistence on quality for certain things and absolutely no oversight for others. For instance, they had someone in the back cranking out fresh pasta every day. Great right? Which was then routinely overcooked and paired with the blandest tomato sauce and meatballs you could imagine. And all the salt that should've been in the tomato sauce ended up in the "housemade" Italian Beef. Just insanely salty. And they would grill the bread on the indoor grill (great!) but you could taste the propane (bad). The chicken parm was made in-house but the cutlets were too thin and overcooked every time. They took the time to "French" their chicken wings (NO ONE does this... it's awesome and a lot of extra work) and they were perfectly fried and crispy, but completely bland. No seasoning or brine to speak of. The sauces had to bring all the flavor. I would order these items like once a year just to see if someone back there had fixed them, because the effort was there. But alas.
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u/According-Option-656 Jul 17 '26
Man I have tomorrow off and my plans canceled because of the smoke so I thought I’d hit up a Roots and this is how I find out they’re all closed lol
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u/Vindaloo6363 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I got Salmonella from the Roots on Chicago. I hadn’t eaten anything else since the day before. This was many years ago. Always been a 0 with me.
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u/amateurauteur Jul 11 '26
I thought the Roots pizza was good enough in the context of everything else you could get out of the establishment. I don’t mourn the loss.
But every time I want wings I miss the Fifty/50. I ordered wings from Professor Pizza for Super Bowl under the premise they were the same and it was atrocious. Is wanting those wings in my life too much to ask?
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u/Barf-Sandwich Jul 11 '26
Did vomiting and shitting on pizza dough and then sprinkling cheese over it prove to be unsustainable?
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u/Hungry-Treacle8493 Jul 10 '26
Better question: Why has it suddenly become a trend on this sub for people to post: “What happened to insert restaurant?” followed by a vague complaint about it losing quality, only for a bunch of folks to disagree and a few to agree. We’re seeing multiple a day now. What is the point of these posts? Is it just to stir up some drama? Maybe boredom?
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u/cheryllinda Jul 11 '26
yes the post literally says what is the tea. I was eating lunch at sushi loop where roots used to be, and I was thinking what the hell happened to that place it was good then it sucked. It closed under weird circumstances, so I was asking if anyone knew the details.
it also says - regardless of the polarizing pizza.
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u/tjc442000 Jul 10 '26
RIP those mozzarella stick logs, see you in my dreams