Seeing is believing, says Marc Schulman, president of Chicago-based Eli’s Cheesecake Co.
“That’s what I had in mind when we designed Eli’s Cheesecake World, our new bakery,” he says. “I wanted to build a visitor-friendly place where tourists could see how our employees produce cheesecakes.”
The public will get to see the new digs at 6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive – $9 million, 62,000-square-foot facility–beginning this weekend, at the Eli’s Cheesecake Festival, to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, indoors and out. Entertainment, children’s contests and sweet treats will be available at the free fest.
More Top Picks Best Matcha Bowls
Guests who don mandatory hairnets for a 25-minute tour of production rooms will see baked cheesecakes emerge from a 70-foot tunnel oven and come to rest on a two-story spiral cooler before being transferred to walk-in freezers. Guests also can watch cake decorators and packagers at work.
Eli’s Cheesecake World will include a dessert cafe whose menu features–go figure–cheesecake ($1.50-$3.50 per slice), as well as cake, cookies and beverages. Eli’s Exclusives, the retail store, will sell 6-to 10-inch cheesecakes ($10-$35) in traditional and not-so-traditional flavors, such as Twilight Chocolate Macadamia and Toffee Talk. For bargain-hunters, cheesecakes with small visual imperfections will be sold for half-price. Eli’s souvenirs also will be sold, such as sweatshirts ($28), baseball caps ($12) and coffee mugs ($6).
Beginning in November, tours will be offered weekdays for $2 per adult (call 800-999-8300 for reservations).