A meat and specialty food company synonymous with Chicago-style hot dogs will relocate its manufacturing operations to the South Side under a financial plan approved today by City Council.

Vienna Beef Ltd. will be reimbursed with up to $4.97 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for expenses associated with its planned $12.3 million purchase and renovation of a 103,000-square-foot factory at 1000 W. Pershing Road in Bridgeport.

Vienna’s relocation will coincide with the City of Chicago’s pending reconstruction of the intersection of Damen, Elston, and Fullerton avenues, which is adjacent to the company’s current manufacturing plant at 2501 N. Damen Ave. The reconstruction project will reroute Elston through the southern portion of Vienna’s property, impeding its business operations.

Under the terms of the TIF assistance, Vienna will be required to maintain at least 250 jobs at the Bridgeport facility for the next 15 years, among other requirements. The facility, located in the Stockyards Industrial Corridor, was previously occupied by Best Kosher Foods. The building renovation work will create up to 75 temporary construction jobs and be completed within the next 18 months.

Vienna’s signature hot dog was created by Austro-Hungarian immigrants Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany and introduced at the 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  The company also produces a variety of sausages, deli meats, soups and other food items.

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