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Hope this move works out for JJP and Jack and gang!
Now they just need to give LTG his own private jet to fly in for meetings, and Steve as well!
This'll definitely make their appearance at TPF in a month, much more interesting....and it was already high on the list for excitement!
Quoted from jellikit:One word that many across the country know, Portillo's.[quoted image]
Isn't that kinda the McDonald's of Chicago though? As in readily available but not the best.
I did a pretty determined hot dog tour a few years back, and liked the place, but it definitely felt more chain than the best secret little spot or example of Italian Beef's and Chicago Dogs in town....
Kinda like Lou Malnati's.
Quoted from DanDanDAN:No one mentioned Mr Beef in this thread?
Shame on all of you!
Is Mr. Beef open fairly late, and features big ass sauteed peppers on their beef?
Quoted from JayDee:No. But it is definitely a chain. Btw, did you visit gene and judes on your hot dog tour?
Definitely went to Gene and Judes! That's near the southside of town, yes? Almost like an old drive up kinda place?
Quoted from jellikit:It is a 'comfort' place for many knowing what to expect and it is good. But there are definitely other places to checkout, everyone definitely has their own favorite. Wolfy's, Gene and Judes, Murphy's, Superdawg, the list is quite long and many are very good. Jack will have time to check them all out, maybe he can start his own ranking of where he goes.
Definitely was solid! I guess as an outsider, I'd heard of that place over the years, and felt a bit let down that that was the somewhat known spot in Chicago, nationally, akin to say In and Out.....which I still have never had, damn it! I'd definitely go there a lot, if I lived there.
Superdawg sounds familiar....
*taking notes* 
Quoted from Jaybird815:Their Hot Dog is ok, but their beef is still one of the better around, Extra gravy, sweet and hot peppers for me!
Aw man...that sounds delicious!!
Quoted from MrBally:Buona Beef is my favorite.
Gene and Jude's for hot dogs...
Definitely putting Buona on the list!
Quoted from Breger1:And here we go..another thread thrown off over the next 100 posts about company vs. company superior quality.
[quoted image]
Yeah...... Can we get back to Chicago's good eating spots instead??? 
Quoted from Deez:Whatever you say. A company called Jersey Jack doesn't move to Chicago unless they have to. They're hurting and Stern is going to jump in.
They've always had split offices, which never made good business sense or practice. That was most likely done for reasons we can only speculate on. This move....makes far more sense.
Quoted from ReadyPO:Looking forward to the JJP factory tour at Expo
As a long time Illinois resident (abet Central/Southern Illinois which is almost like a different state than Chicagoland), I agree the business climate can be challenging in the state. That said, Chicago has been and continues to be the design and manufacturing epicenter of pinball, and this move will not only be good for JJP, but also be good for Illinois by bolstering one of our bright spot industries.
BTW, Portillo's has expanded out of Chicago to a few other states and to several downstate locations now for don't have to go north of I-80 to get a good Chicago Dog
Interesting.... Florida, CA and Arizona. C'mon PA!!!!
Quoted from kklank:Not in love with the “Jersey Jack” brand name. Never have been. It’s too regional. But there stuck with it now.
I would convert slowly over to a different brand name. You have to have a pretty big ego to name the company after yourself and where you live imo.
Alliteration and charisma work quite well!
From what I've always heard/read, the naming was more a formality than ego.
Gotlieb, Williams, Stern, Bally....definitely not named after people.
Quoted from jimwe5t:Heavy in pinball terms usually means outdated, old tech and very cumbersome. Anyone that has tried to move a widebody JJP machine knows the weight of poor design and old mech tech is as heavy as a small automobile (lol). Stern, Spooky, American Pinball, CGC has the weight balance figured out and for good reasons to stay with that balance.
That’s why Pat has always refused to make widebody anything. He gets it and understands why no modern company makes that albatross of a design any longer. The ball meanders all over the play field on a widebody, along with all the other physic issues constantly happening.
The math on pinball field design was done for a reason and settled on the standard size play field we have now for goods reasons. Just like all sports fields have been determined to be optimal for their respective games.
Pat overloaded Dialed In to a ridiculous degree though.... It and Wonka, both standard bodies, weigh in at 350 pounds a piece....
So surely these games are heavy for reasons other than being widebody games, right??? 
A little more info...
https://www.replaymag.com/jersey-jack-moving-manufacturing-to-illinois/
The move has already started and will continue during the next few weeks, founder Jack Guarnieri told RePlay. “The exciting thing is to get everybody under one roof,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll shorten up the time it takes us to develop a game.”
Quoted from Manimal:He doesn't sound too optimistic........
This business seems a bit overwhelming over the years. It definitely takes a toll, I'd imagine.
Quoted from LTG:And the link in post 336 a few posts up.
LTG : )
You're the man Lloyd! Figured my email subscription to RePlay would come to benefit someday..!
Quoted from pin2d:Will have a mini-interview with Jack on TWIP on Monday about the move.
Oooooh, really excited to read about this! Thanks for the announcement!
Quoted from PanzerFreak:Mini interview with Jack from This Week In Pinball is up!
https://www.thisweekinpinball.com/this-week-in-pinball-march-2nd-2020/
TWIP: Can you share more about what prompted the move from New Jersey to Illinois?
Jack Guarnieri: We outgrew both of our buildings, the one in NJ and in Bensenville. We needed to get into a big, beautiful building so everyone can be together.
TWIP: How long do you anticipate it will be before the Illinois manufacturing facility is ready to build games?
Jack: It will be up and running quickly.
TWIP: Will this move impact release plans of the next JJP title?
Jack: No, we are on track to release as per our plan.
TWIP: Have their been any discussions of mergers between JJP and any of the other pinball manufacturers located near Chicago?
Jack: No.
TWIP: As far as the future of Jersey Jack Pinball – where do you see Jersey Jack Pinball in five years?
Jack: The industry leader in innovation and FUN! Releasing multiple titles yearly, designing and building thousands of amazing games a year, expanding the base of pinball players all over the world.
Yeah....some answers here, but still also fairly vague. Hopefully TPF provides more insight.
Glad TWIP enquired, and thanks for posting this!
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Kinda feel bad that both Frank and now Shannan are now gone from JJP. At least they hired barryj and dandandan !
DanDan is in the unknown.... Not at JJP it seems.
Quoted from PinMonk:Where'd Frank go?
Frank left in September. Haven't heard from him since..... He was incredible.
Quoted from benheck:Aren't there a lot of sports teams that moved but kept their names that were based on their original homes? Lakers and Dodgers come to mind, I'm sure there's more.
Yeah, but then they changed the location name in front. Bronx Bombers/Brooklyn Dodgers became LA Dodgers.
Cleveland Browns left town, kinda overnight, and entirely changed to the Baltimore Ravens.
Either way, no way Jack is removing Jersey from the name. I hope so anyway....
Quoted from frobozz:Williams certainly did it that way, as you could have seen on an Expo factory tour to the 3401 N California or Waukegan plants. I believe they were the last ones though.
Quoted from Bublehead:Stern still does some harnesses in house. VE runs especially. The template nail boards are kept until they decide no more runs then they reuse them. It’s funny to see the names on the prints that they use to identify them, because they use code names on everything.
Yeah, any tour videos in the past few years still show wiring harnesses being created at Stern.
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:Has to move plant still and rebuild it. Covid killed the move in. That phase should start in next couple months. Then, I believe they will start with filling orders of existing product first.
I think its going to be sometime before we see the new game. I'm just guessing, but I'm close.
You don't think they started the move, at all?
Quoted from Concretehardt:[quoted image]
I saw this earlier on Twitter, and wondered if the lettering was photoshopped in. Looks funky.
Quoted from Yelobird:Yeah and the grass is to long and the bush isn’t pruned. Lol. It’s a Sign! Do we have to critique Every communication and effort? Lol
My point was, I genuinely wondered if the signage existed or if they pasted some text onto an existing image. The photo looked peculiar when I saw it. Still does. I have a background, (failed) in illustration so seeing something like that stands out for me.
Plus, it's definitely interesting that they removed the NJ outline from their sign. I wonder if that will happen throughout their logo usage.
Quoted from KingPinGames:Sign is real
I saw someone ask the same thing over on Facebook! 
They addressed the lack of the NJ outline also. Said the sign was too horizontal, so they focused on the name.
Quoted from zaphX:There is nothing Pinsiders can't criticize!
Observations are not the same as criticism. 
Quoted from Reznnate:[quoted image]
I'm just happy to see a sign, and well...that there's a continuing business behind it!
I do hope this streamlines production for them, but it's definitely sad to think about the loss of a sweet trip to Philly and NYC, and consequently JJP and the shore/Silverball Museum.....
Quoted from DeeGor:Could be a supply chain problem. Everything is on back order these days thanks to the covid. I'm furnishing a new house and my washer, dryer and sofa have all been on back order for the past 4 months. It's really frustrating.
Not to mention your poor clothes must stink quite a bit..! But at least you won't stain your couch by sitting on it. 
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Pittsburgh, PA