CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -A Chicago addiction treatment center in the West Loop hosted a grand opening Monday for a restaurant staffed entirely by patients in recovery.
Haymaker Center, a recovery center located on Sangamon Street in the West Loop, held a grand opening and block party for its new restaurant, Mac’s Deli, which employs patients and provides them with job training.
Vienna Beef has partnered with the deli and the restaurant expansion was made possible through a federal grant.
Deli manager Roderick Jackson says his job is about providing support.
“We’re human, so we are going to make mistakes, and, I feel, me being manager, my job is to let them know that it’s ok, it’s ok, we are here to help you. We’re standing strong, we’re getting here together…It don’t happen without a team, Jackson says.
Melissa Crabtree, 33, works at the deli.
“I’ve been in Haymarket for about five, six months now, and, honestly, they saved my life…It feels good to be working, and it’s extremely important to have something that makes you feel like that,” Crabtree says.