Image by Maxim Hopman

Running a catering operation in Chicago means competing in a market that's shifting fast - and the numbers tell the story better than any anecdote. Here's where the industry stands heading into the second half of the year.

$77.18 billion. That's the size of the U.S. catering market in 2025, on pace to grow at a 6.2% CAGR through 2035 - a sign that demand for outsourced food service keeps climbing nationwide.

~3 million. That's how many event-goers pass through McCormick Place every year - the largest convention center in North America and a steady engine of catering demand for the whole city, from trade shows to corporate meetings to consumer events.

2.6 million square feet. McCormick Place's exhibit space spans 2.6 million square feet, with 173 meeting rooms and four ballrooms as large as 103,000 square feet. Some single conventions bring 45,000+ attendees to the city - which means the caterers serving them are prepping meals at a scale most restaurants never see.

48% and 35%. Nationally, corporate events remain the biggest growth driver for caterers (cited by 48% of operators), with weddings close behind at 35% of sales growth - a reminder that a diversified event calendar is still the safest bet.

531,000+ employees, 23,000+ locations. That's the scale of Illinois's broader restaurant and foodservice workforce - one of the largest employment sectors in the state, and the labor pool Chicago caterers are drawing from and competing against.

The takeaway for operators: Chicago's event calendar keeps generating serious volume, and the caterers built to handle it are the ones capturing that demand.

Photo by Dave Garcia

It's one of the most common calls our team takes: a customer asks for a "meat slicer" when what they actually need is a meat cutter. So the first question our sales team asks is simple - are you looking for something like a deli slicer or ham slicer? That one question usually clears things up fast. 

A meat cutter cuts with the grain into strips

A commercial meat cutter - like our AE-MC12N - is a gravity-fed unit that uses two blade roller assemblies to cut raw meat into strips, with the grain. It's the right tool for fajita prep (some customers just call it a "fajita cutter"), stir-fry strips, and stew meat. The AE-MC12N handles skirt steak, boneless chuck, chicken breast, venison, and more, with strip thickness (1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″, or 1/2″) specified at order. 

A meat slicer cuts across the grain in uniform, thin sheets

A commercial meat slicer is a large rotating circular blade machine - think of it like a miter saw with an adjustable thickness gauge. It's built for cooked or cured product: deli meats, prosciutto, roast beef, brisket for sandwiches. American Eagle doesn't carry slicers; brands like Globe and Hobart are worth a look. 

The difference is important

Slicers are not designed to process raw meat into strips - forcing raw meat through a slicer will damage the blade and create a food safety problem.

So which do you need?

•       If you’re prepping raw meat into strips before cooking → meat cutter (like our AE-MC12N)
•       If you’re slicing cooked, cured, or deli meats for service → meat slicer
•       If you need both → both. They solve different problems.

Photo by Frederick Medina on Unsplash

Chicago’s summer festival calendar is one of the most intense food service environments in the country. The Taste of Chicago attracts over a million visitors alone, not to mention Ribfest, Blues Fest, and countless neighborhood block parties. The vendors and caterers behind those booths aren’t cooking for tables of four. They’re cooking for thousands. The equipment that makes it possible has to be built for exactly that.

American Eagle Food Machinery has been supplying commercial food processing equipment to the Chicagoland market since 1980. Here’s what the operations using our equipment have learned about what matters when your kitchen has to scale to festival volume.

Volume means something different at a festival

A busy restaurant dinner service might run 150 covers. A festival booth can serve that many in 30 minutes – and then do it again for the next six hours. The prep that happens before is where the margin is won or lost. If your team is still cutting fajita strips by hand, you’re already behind.

Our AE-MC12N commercial meat cutter is built for exactly this kind of pre-event prep. The dual rotating 3.5″ diameter knives are mounted on ball-bearing shafts and cut through skirt steak, boneless chuck, chicken breast, or venison in seconds – not minutes. Four strip thicknesses are available (1/2", 1",  1-1/2", 2", and 1-1/4"), so whether you’re cutting for a fajita bar, a stir-fry station, or a slider topping, you can get the cuts you need. Removable combs between the knives prevent meat from jamming and reduce food waste – a detail that adds up quickly when you’re processing hundreds of pounds of meat.

The hub system: one motor, the whole prep line

The #12 hub accepts the full range of American Eagle attachments: the AE-G22NH grinder, the AE-VS12NH vegetable processor, and the AE-JS12H jerky slicer. One motor handles grinding, tenderizing, cutting, and vegetable prep – all the tasks that need to be done before the first customer shows up.

A hub system that covers multiple tasks means fewer machines to purchase, store, and clean. For a catering company running three festivals in a weekend, that kind of efficiency is where the day is won or lost.

What to think about before festival season

If you’re planning for a summer of large-format events, here’s what’s worth reviewing now rather than in July:

• Strip thickness: Cutting thickness is specified at order and is not field-adjustable on the AE-MC12N. Know your menu before you buy.
• Hub compatibility: The #12 hub is compatible with other manufacturers’ equipment – check whether your existing motor qualifies before purchasing attachments separately.
• Cleaning: The cutter head disassembles easily for cleaning and sanitation. Build this into your post-event breakdown time.
• Parts availability: Order any wear parts before the season, not after something breaks during event prep.

Check out the many ways you can put the collection to use:

Check out the Collection here: https://www.americaneaglemachine.com/products/onehub/

Planetary mixers are multi-functional mixers with a fixed, non-rotating bowl. The bowl can be raised and lowered into the mixing position. The utensil rotates around the non-rotating bowl like the way the planets rotate the sun. That’s why it’s called a Planetary mixer. This is a great choice as a pizza dough mixer as well a mixer for cakes, pastries, and breads. Many kinds of customers, ranging from small caterers to large-scale baked goods companies, use a Planetary mixer. 

One of the main benefits of a Planetary mixer is the ability to add attachments to this bakery mixer. With the many attachments available, it can turn into a meat grinder or vegetable slicer. Do you need to make some batter? It’s not a problem with the Planetary mixer. It can also whip potatoes. Because of this versatility, many bakers and pastry shops use these types of mixer. A paddle attachment allows for blending and creaming. These mixers a great choice for pie crusts, cake fillings, and cookie dough. If meringue or whipped cream is needed, the wire whip attachment can be used. Pizza shops and bakeries can take advantage of the dough hook attachment for all their dough mixing needs.

We offer a great range of options, from a small 10 quart to a large 80 quart. For the larger sizes available, bowl trucks are available to help you easily move your heavy bowl with all its contents from mixer to working table. 

Check out the many Planetary mixers we have available  HERE.

Need help selecting the mixer that is best for you? 

No worries, we are here to help. Feel free to reach out to us at 800-836-5756.

The event offers customizable schedules for all attendees, where you can rotate through your set of meetings seamlessly, meeting with a variety of vendors within a small group of attendees, just like the show floor.

We hope we’ll make it onto your custom meeting schedule, and look forward to connecting with you at the event. Click Here to Register for Free.

For more information on the show, check out: https://www.thenafemshow.org/

Here's a map on how to reach our booth:

8/5/2021 UPDATE - The NAFEM Show 2021 has been cancelled. We will see you at the next NAFEM Show in 2023. 

In celebration of the past 25+ years American Eagle Food Machinery has begun offering restaurant and bakery equipment, we are proud to introduce our new Gold Series 20 quart and 30 quart Planetary Mixers, AE-20GA and AE-30GA. Engineered with craftsmanship to create artisanal and refined products, along with a unique gold finish, these machines add distinction to any food preparation process. With new features never before included in our past models, there is now an attachable ingredient feed as well as rubber feet and arms for secure placement. Compared to previous models, the Gold Series is a premium upgrade with all the best features: #12 hub, wire safety guard, solid cast iron construction, and premium enamel paint coating that resists rusts, scratches, and dents. Find them through your local equipment dealer or search on one of our online dealers.

Want To Learn More?

AE-20GA: https://www.americaneaglemachine.com/ae-20ga-20-qt-gold-series-mixer-w-guard-115v-1ph-60hz-3-speeds/

AE-30GA: https://www.americaneaglemachine.com/ae-30ga-30-qt-gold-series-mixer-w-guard-115v-1ph-60hz-3-speeds/

There is a lot of information out there about how to access these loans/grants. Some information is good and reliable while others may simply be rumours or even scams, so we wanted to provide some resources we’ve used as a guide and to share some of our knowledge.

The first step we advise is to try to contact your bank where you already have an open business account. The government has chosen to administer the funds through private banks so in theory, funds are available more quickly. The federal government is guaranteeing the loan funds so banks are willing to provide funds in these extraordinary circumstances.

The first question you need to ask your bank is if they are participating in the program. Ask them for their application and if they already have experience with SBA loan programs. It will be ideal to find a bank that has prior experience issuing SBA loans, since they can leverage their knowledge to help you get funding more quickly. Please keep in mind that most banks will not have the staff or resources to handle the volume of requests immediately.

The key is proper preparation to submit complete information on your PPP loan application:

1. Have your monthly payroll expenses (including benefits) documented so you can determine how much loan money you qualify for
2. Document your expenses for Rent, Utilities, Interest on Mortgages
3. Legal documents, including business structure, tax returns, and other incorporating documents

Congress wants to minimize how much the pandemic cripples the U.S. economy, and passed the CARES Act very quickly, so a lot of the implementation of the actual process has fallen to the banks. Help the banks and loan officers working to implement the program by being as prepared and educated as possible.

During these difficult times, we’re here to do what we can to help your business continue operating by providing competitive prices, product and parts support, and other helpful information and tips we have. We ask for your continued patience with our team as we collectively work through the COVID-19 crisis together.

To that end, we are committed to:

1. Remain open. Groups of employees work remotely, encouraging social distancing to protect vulnerable populations, and helping our employees balance any childcare or family needs. Through the use of technology, all of our office and support staff are available by phone during our normal business hours 9A-5P CST, Monday through Friday. Please be patient with us if a call doesn’t transfer properly or if you are directed to leave a voicemail. Rest assured that we will respond to your call.
2. Respond to emails. Please continue to send purchase orders or product inquiries to sales@americaneaglemachine.com and contact us at support@americaneaglemachine.com for any customer support issues.
3. Shipping orders. Depending on staffing levels at our warehouse, there may be a small delay in getting an order shipped. We will continue to ship in-stock parts and orders for equipment in support of your business operation and help ensure continuity.
4. Extra Sanitation Procedures. Both our offices and warehouse have increased cleaning to protect our employees and prevent the spread of germs through any inbound or outbound shipments.
5. Dispatching service calls. To the best of our ability, we will perform services while assessing overall safety for both our service providers and customers on a case by case basis.

All of these extra precautions might mean slightly slower response times from our team, so we ask for your patience and understanding during these challenging times.

We are all in this together, so if there is any way our team can assist you, please let us know. We wish you well, and hope you and your families stay safe and healthy!