WHITEHALL, MI – Chicago native Christopher Witt opened Witty’s to bring a part of the Windy City to West Michigan.
Since 2019, the seasonal food truck has been parked at 720 E. Colby St. April through October, dishing out Chicago hot dogs, homemade Italian beef sandwiches, ribs, beef brisket, pizza, beer-battered fish and more.
Witt decided to launch the red, 18-foot food trailer alongside his wife Julie, who is a West Michigan native. He said she had prior experience in the hospitality industry and was game for another venture.
“We wanted to open up food that we enjoy, which wasn’t available around here — like Italian beef, the Chicago dogs, things of that nature,” he told MLive. “We get a lot of customers who say they don’t even need to go to Chicago anymore for this kind of food because they can get it here. That makes me feel happy.”
The top-selling item is the Italian beef sandwich, priced at $9.50. It comes with a half pound of homemade beef, sweet peppers or hot Giardiniera peppers, and provolone cheese for an extra 50 cents.
Witt said some customers like to eat the six-inch sandwich like a French dip, completely doused in a side of au jus.
“That’s kind of the idea behind an Italian beef,” he said. “You eat it wet. In Chicago, they drown it. You put it in the prongs, put the whole thing under the au jus and bring it up wet, wrap it and sell it.”
Witt also has locals stopping in for his Chicago thin-crust pizza, especially the specials.
The 16-inch supreme is $23, topped with four different meats. On Thursdays, customers who spend $35 get a free order of cheese sticks or potato skins.
“We don’t skimp,” Witt said. “We want it to taste right, not have people worry about pricing.”
Witty’s current hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for dinner on Thursday and Friday.
Call 815-904-4257 to place an order for carryout. View the full menu on Facebook.
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Dining and Cooking