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remove this template message rip s tavern type mom and pop industry restaurants genre casual dining & drinking founded 1936 founder rip tugger headquarters 311 n. main ladd illinois 61329 products fried chicken website www.ripschicken.com rip s tavern is a mom and pop casual dining restaurant and bar located in ladd illinois . they specialize in fried chicken and provide a recognizably unique atmosphere to their customers . the taste of rip s chicken has been enjoyed all across the united states as well as germany . founded in 1936 by silvio rip gualandri rip s tavern has been able to stay in business because of its ability to adapt to a changing society . the current location for the tavern has not changed since 1937 when it was moved across the street from its original location . current owners bill and dave rounds are considering franchising and the chicago reader reports that they have a good offer from investors in bloomington normal illinois on the table . 1 contents 1 history 1.1 employees 1.2 location 2 menu 2.1 changing with the times 3 the wait 4 chicken serving hours 5 footnotes 6 sources history edit since 1936 when rip s tavern opened in ladd illinois by silvio rip gualandri it has been valued by its patrons from the local area . the tavern received its name because of the founder s nickname rip which he received from the time he spent working on the repair inspect and paint track on the railroad . according to rip s website their fried chicken has traveled as far as germany and alaska and an order is sent to las vegas every year . 2 employees edit rip s tavern up until recent years has been solely a family run and operated business . this was due to the lack of trust by the owners to anyone outside the family . the chicago reader reports that gualandri s nieces and nephews would cross the atlantic ocean from their hometown in italy to come to work at rip s. 1 the tavern has now transitioned from having only family employees to hiring area college students like dean . this transition has been one of the many obstacles that rip s has overcome to maintain their business . location edit rip s tavern was originally located on the west side of s. main st. but after just one year of operation it relocated across the street to its current location . the building remained unchanged until january 28 1985 when an electrical fire in the kitchen burned down the tavern causing 200 000 of damages to rip s and other buildings in the vicinity . 3 after the fire had completely burned down the existing building rip s purchased the adjacent building to increase the size of their establishment . with the increase in size rip s was able to add more space to the kitchen move the location of the bathroom and expand the waiting area . 2 menu edit a unique aspect of rip s is the fact there is no tangible menu . the menu is given by word of mouth to the customers as they are waiting in line . this particular type of menu makes the ordering process simple ; bill rounds a current co owner asks each customer waiting in line if he or she would like to order a quarter light or a quarter dark . depending on the day he could also add chicken strips or fish to this question . the informal nature of the ordering process distinguishes rip s from other taverns . once seated customers receive crispys and pickles rip s signature appetizers . crispys are the spare batter pieces dropped from the chicken during the frying process . 2 changing with the times edit originally rip s primarily served fish because gualandri would clean and fry the fish the locals had caught so the customers could enjoy fresh fish . the menu made its first major change when its signature item chicken was added . as a result rip s put farmers into business to raise chickens for the tavern . now rip s customers consume 4 000 pounds of chicken each week . the chicago reader also mentions that pasta was removed in the 1950s because the kitchen was over its workable capacity and could not handle the volume . the only other change in the menu would be both the addition and subtraction of onion rings during the 1980s . 1 like many other small mom and pop businesses rip s tavern has experienced many setbacks resulting from a changing society . recently dean s bought out the company that used to make the pickles for rip s and they threw out the customized recipe which was crafted to rounds specifications . events like this make it nearly impossible for small businesses to survive without the ability to adapt and overcome changes . another concern of the owners is their fear that the specialized cooking oil which is derived from three different types of vegetable oil may no longer be available . 1 the owners still try to maintain the quality that rip s was founded on and they believe that the consistency of their products keep customers coming back . 2 although times are changing rip s is adapting without losing sight of their standards . the wait edit rip s chicken is not the only attraction that brings people to the tavern . the atmosphere of this small town tavern is what makes it different from other fried chicken establishments . some customers can remember back to when they would wait two and half hours not just for the chicken but for the enjoyment of the waiting line atmosphere . the line of customers waiting to eat is a melting pot of people . area high school graduates gather with former classmates for miniature class reunions . businessmen and women meet with their clients . coaches treat their teams after a win . parents bring their children and as the years pass these children eventually come back with their own families . also in the waiting area current friends socialize while new friendships are made and old friends are reunited . rip s website says that the average wait is about an hour which has been shortened from several decades ago but the atmosphere has not changed . 2 the chicago reader mentions that on average the waiting customers can see people from about 15 different towns in the restaurant . most of these towns are within a 20 mile 32 km radius but some regulars drive over an hour to enjoy the atmosphere at rip s. 1 actually it is still about 2 hours but still very much worth the wait . as far as travel distance i have only been outdistanced once and that s when i stopped there on a drive back from california folks driving 100 miles or more is not unusual . one very interesting phenomenon is the number of people walking out with take out orders after they have already eaten dinner . we always place a to go ordering when we go there to eat . it still tastes great the next day . chicken serving hours edit day of the week hours wednesday 4 30 pm 9 30 pm thursday 5 00 pm 9 00 pm friday 4 30 pm 11 00 pm saturday 4 30 pm 11 00 pm sunday 2 30 pm 10 00 pm rip s tavern is closed on monday and tuesdays . historically rip s was closed on these two days so that the owner could pick up the live chickens on monday and slaughter them in the basement on tuesday . rip s continues to remain closed on these days despite the change in their chicken preparation practice . rip s new practice is to have 3 shipments of fresh chicken delivered from various sources each week which they then prepare to their exacting specifications . 1 footnotes edit a b c d e f the wait makes you salivate . chicago reader . retrieved 2009 03 015 . check date values in access date help a b c d e making the trip . detours magazine . retrieved 2009 03 015 . check date values in access date help rip s fire loss estimated at 200 000 . 28 january 1985 sources edit dallam katie . making the trip . detour magazine . retrieved 15 march 2009 . day nicholas . the wait makes you salivate . chicago reader . retrieved 15 march 2009 . rip s fire loss estimated at 200 000 . news tribune . january 28 1985 . access date requires url help retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title rip % 27s tavern & oldid 705037966 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