Felony Franks

The owner is very courteous. He always calls when the food is running a little late. The food tastes great. The prices are low so you are getting a great deal for your food! I always try to order from Felony Franks when I can. They run a great business and I will always support them. The food is usually on time and it always tastes great. It’s a great local business of Oak Park!

Quick shoutout to a local business: Felony Franks catered my daughter’s 2^nd birthday party this weekend and it was amazing. I worked directly with the owner, Deno, who is so easy to work with and a local Oak Parker, to create a summer fun menu to be served at her park side party. It was incredibly affordable considering the high quality ingredients that were used. I fed 40 people easily with leftovers and spent so much less than I have with other caterers. Deno himself delivered and kindly stayed to help out at the party. Best of all everything was incredibly delicious. I highly recommend this business as a great catering option for your next event!

Definitely 5star chi town dog I ate 3 and just did not want to stop it was so good. I’m an x offender glad to put my money to guys that deserves a second chance at life the delivery guy frank was very polite it’s guys like that n need to be a regular member of society thanks fellow felons keep up the good work we deserve a chance at life good job. the

We just tried it for the first time great burgers… next up is the Beef sandwich which is huge and looks amazing!

I really appreciate the goal of the restaurant in providing a chance for those with criminal records to find employment. 5 stars for the management!
The restaurant was bright, fun characters on the walls, and it was spotlessly clean. I was warmly welcomed and immediately served. I saw fabulous teamwork and my order was perfect.
The owner’s son was in the kitchen and out in the dining room greeting guests. He knew exactly what his employees were doing. He was very friendly and made the experience enjoyable.
I was extremely impressed by the training of the staff and their ability to do their jobs without being told. The dining room attendant actually pulled out every chair and completely swept under tables, wiped chairs and tables properly when no one was looking. She never quit working.
One employee had a customer waiting for him to take a break. The 10 year old little girl was learning to play chess from the staff person. The little girl’s family gathered around and the staff person taught her like a pro. He was amazing and he gave up his break for this customer.
This is a hot dog and burger place and the food was very tasty. The chili cheese fries had a lot of meat in the chili and perfect seasoning. My Italian Beef was filled with beef and so delicious.
The management has a great product and a greater mission. They are doing it all right!

Yum! Loved this place. I had the largest best gyros I’ve ever had in my
life here! Clean, friendly, place that serves real food that is locally sourced. Oh and the fact that you are helping to support people who deserve a second chance makes it even better. It’s like eating for charity.
Yum! Can’t wait to go back and try a Chicago Dog.

Tried felony Frank’s for the first time tonight. Burger and fries were good.
I waited 15 min in line just to order. Not sure if they are always this slow. Not sure I’ll go back because it took so long.

Best place around. The owner came and talked to us about the food and principles behind their dishes. Explained to us all the various things and saw to it we were properly taken care of. We got the gyros, the Greek burger, and the regular burger with chili cheese fries. Everything was absolutely wonderful. Will definitely be back to try the hot dogs and beef sandwich.

My first visit to Felony Franks was great! The staff was welcoming, friendly, and helpful with recommendations on what to try for a first timer! I love what this place stands for. They are locally owned and socially responsible, while employing & training ex-​offenders.
I ordered the Italian job with sweet peppers, fries and a drink. It was great! I’ll have to go back to try the Parolish sausage, misdemeanor wiener, and breakout steak burger! If you haven’t been you should check them out! And don’t forget to get your mug shot selfie for adding ketchup to your hot dog!

Friendly management, good cause and delicious, high quality fast food. My go to whenever I’m craving a beef, hot dog or burger!

I was looking forward to tryin this place very disappointed. Fries were not. Done polish was cold nice staff need to work on quality of food.

I’ve added on a star because they now deliver via grubhub. For someone like myself who relies on public transportation, I was very excited to see that I can order delivery!

Felony Franks was literally one of my top priorities to check out when I was back in Chicago! This gem of a hot dog eatery works with Rescue Foundation, an organization that provides hiring, training, and on-​going support/​mentoring ex-​offenders. It is not just offering second chances by giving ex-​offenders a job, but also to provide continuous life-​training and rehabilitation. What a great cause! The menu offers hot dogs, Polish sausages, variety of specialty sandwiches, shakes, and Pepsi beverages. I tried the following: a Misdemeanor Wiener (a Chicago style hot dog, this came with all the fixings in a poppy-​seeded bun and it was pretty delicious!) and an Italian Job (Italian sausage that is custom-​made for Felony Franks, it’s made with very lean pork and all nestled in a thick chewy bread; I did request for the hot giardiniera, and this was a great spicy addition). I couldn’t pass up on the Felony Fries, which are fresh and hand-​cut daily — these had a slight crisp exterior and were pretty tasty! With a Unilocal check-​in, you also get a $ 1 milkshake (no joke! There’s a variety of flavors, but I stuck with the classic vanilla; this was thick, creamy, and quite delicious!). We were able to talk with Deno Andrews, the owner and manager, and he was super cool and awesome! He made sure that we were satisfied with our meals and even gave us a brief history of the restaurant. The staff were super friendly and sweet, and prepared all the items on point! What a great find, be sure to check them out to support a great cause!
+partners with Rescue Foundation
+‘Misdemeanor Wiener’ :D
+Felony Fries: D
+ask for Deno: D
+lot available to park

Felony Franks will rewrite your playbook in regards to the Chicago Hot Dog experience. To me, this gustatorial gem is the best of both worlds: they have GREAT food and they have a GREAT cause.
The food: the namesake hot dog and fries and spectacular. Great care is given to all ingredients. The bun: fresh and perfect. The dog: savory and satisfying. Condiments and preparation: top quality.
The fries merit their own paragraph. The day long preparation yields an incredible result. Fresh, savory, crunchy, and creamy in one bite. Perfection. My favorites are now on notice: you have stiff competition as Felony Franks has the recipes for success.
Beyond hot dogs all other entrees are excellent takes on Chicago classics. Polish, Italian Sausage, and Italian Beef are all great sandwiches to this picky patron. Next time I’ll be sure to get the chicken sandwich and a burger… they looked great. As with any great meal, a fitting dessert is a pleasant way to end the experience… get a shake of your favorite flavor and you’ll drive away another satisfied customer.
The space: Simply put, it’s the cleanest place in town. No joke.
The staff: The Felony Franks cause is as great as the food. They only hire individuals who were recently released from incarceration. They’re given sanitation certification, an honest wage, and a great responsibility to run the store. They take pride in all aspects of their work and it shows. Kudos.
Deno Andrews is to be commended for his efforts to launch this new Oak Park landmark. Chicago had their chance and Oak Park can beam with pride at bringing another avant grade cause to the village consumer.
See you next time… tk

The world needs more places like this.
Best place ever. They don’t take themselves too seriously, which is so refreshing in today’s nutty world.
Great dogs. Fries left something to be desired.
Truly important mission. I’d come here every day if I could.

I’m not going to go lightly for a cause. I think we all get what Felony Frank’s is. A chance for redemption. Right? but the face at Felony’s was awesome (big fella with a bigger personality). This guy works his tail off. His co-​workers worked hard as well but was a bit shy on Guest service. The beef sandwich is a reason for spending a buck and the Misdemeanor dog worth visit 3 and four. Couldn’t tell you the big guy’s name but his passion and effort is worth patrionage. Visiting here might be a bit of charity but the end result is that the service and quality is better than most beef stands.

Did I tell you that I consume two (2) to three (3) Italian beef sandwiches in a week? Well, you’ve now been told.
I found this place when I was doing my «yelp session» late at night some time ago. First of all, I thought the name of the place was interesting. As I was reading the Unilocal business info, I realized that the name itself had much to do with their mission: employing the ex-​offenders and providing them ongoing trainings for future employment opportunities.
Who doesn’t deserve a second chance? I know people can be granted for second chances to be become better men and women, but my petite stomach doesn’t easily offer a second chance tonight. The food is gotta be delicious, because once it’s in my stomach, that’s a point of no return.
Hubby and I both had the Big Italian Beef this evening. By the way, they have creative names on their menu. So if you’re not sure what you’re getting, read on the description and then you’ll get it! Currently, their menu is quite simple, but I overheard the owner’s conversation with the adjacent table. He said he would be introducing daily specials and vegetarian menu items soon. Hey husband, did you hear that, too?
Sorry, guys. I’m now back on the Big Italian Beef we both consumed. The beef was above average, but the sweet peppers were great since they were char-​grilled. With this process, more pepper aroma was emitted to make the entire sandwich even more delicious. I’ve not seen many similar competitors putting efforts on making peppers taste as yummy as Felony Frank’s.
By the way, each add-​on (cheese, sweet peppers and hot peppers) was an additional $ 0.50. That’s a standard Chicagoland rate in 2015.
I didn’t use the March Unilocal check-​in offer ($ 1 off a special St. Patrick’s shake), but I believe it’s available as long as you have Unilocal on your mobile device.
Their dining room is clean, comfortable, and well-​lit. The venue is large to offer both men’s and women’s public restrooms, unlike some Chicago joints that do not. Strip-​mall parking is beyond sufficient. However, the CTA 72 (North Ave.) buses run through. The restaurant itself is located on the «Oak Park» side of North Ave.
Yes, Felony Frank has my «second chance.» Wait a minutes, that didn’t sound right… Let me rewind. I should say Felony Frank has my repeated businesses, because I know the Big Italian Beef was doing many good deeds and committing no crime in my stomach.

Okay, so I was thinking that while many other reviewers have highlighted the progressive business practices of Felony Franks that I would skip that and get right to the food…
But then I realized perhaps some people might see my review before seeing others and be oblivious to the social justice aspect of this business, which would be a shame. Basically, this place is a hot-​dog/​beef joint that serves up most of the Chicago staples with a twist: the employees are people that have criminal records, hence the name «Felony Franks».
Now personally, I think this is a great idea. Back in the day there used to be this idea of an individual «paying their debt to society» by serving the time for the crime they committed. But in today’s Chicago with jobs being scarce, pretty much anyone with a criminal record is excluded from the job market, which is both cruel and unfair. How does one expect former felons to better their lives if they can’t find employment? The system just isn’t working, and while Felony Franks may not be a solution to the system, at least it is addressing the problem with humor and delicious food!
Which leads me to the food… Delicious. Perfect Chicago dog (Misdemeanor Wiener) and perfect Polish Sausage (Parolish). And being the Italian Beef connoisseur that my fans know me to be, I can say that Felony Frank’s «Italian Job» is a solid Italian Beef sandwich, one of the best in Chicagoland!
One of the things that struck me about Felony Franks was how clean the establishment looked, and how you could see the food being made right in front of your eyes! It’s a win-​win situation because you get the best of Chicago street food executed in the most sanitary of conditions! The owner is a really cool guy too, he will explain the process of making the food and make sure everything is right with your order.
I remember seeing Felony Franks at their former location a few blocks away from the United Center, and it always intrigued me but I was never hungry enough at a given moment to visit. I understand they had gotten flack from a Chicago alderman which is just shameful.
Even if you don’t care about Frank’s social justice business practices, go there for the above-​average Chicago-​style fast food. They deserve to be in business on that alone!

Ok so i went back and i have to say it was VERY good. The shakes are good and make you want to get more.
The hot dog and the fires were so good when they are made right. I must say that I really liked it.
Also the owner contacted me regarding my previous review and did apologize and informed me to comeback and that next meal would be on him. I figured that i will just go and see and support the business so i did not inform him that i was coming and the food was great.
Great Cause and Great Food. GIVE it a try and if you don’t like it the first time don’t be afraid to try it again. I am glad i did!!!

I hate to be one of the few to offer up less than five stars, but I must. In my opinion, I think a lot of reviewers might be giving the place a little bit of a break because their mission and purpose is good. Not to fault that — one shouldn’t just review on food alone and sometimes service, atmosphere, circus take priority over it. I am bought into the concept here — but they’ve just opened at this location and I think they still have a few things to tweak. This is really more of a 3.5 star review, so I am guilty of giving the place a break as well.
They have a few items on the menu, and while I was thinking about getting a beef/​sausage combo — known as «Cell Mates», I instead opted for the «Misdemeanor Weiner» which seems to be the feature item — as it should be at a hot dog place!
I ordered take-​out and this is one of those places that puts the dog in paper then wraps the fries into it as well. The fries are tough to beat — freshly handcut, mine were right out of the fryer — a touch greasy, but overall great taste and flavor. The hot dog however suffered from being packed in with the fries — it was kind of smushed and the actual sausage itself wasn’t really anything special. The pickle, packed separately was also slightly smushed and cut a little thin — though the flavor was great.
Service was fine — was greeted promptly by the guy who put my order together, he was pretty nice as was the gentleman at the check out terminal. I’ll be back as I’m sure things will only get better — welcome to the area.