Four decades, three generations and several dozen restaurants ago, Joe and Peggy Buonavolanto opened the first Buona Beef restaurant in Berwyn, IL, which specialized in their authentic recipe for Italian Beef Sandwiches. The year was 1981, and the dream location was half a mile from the family’s home. Joe & Peggy made the hard decision to take out a $10,000 second mortgage on the house to start the business.
Their dream was to have their kids work side by side to create a business that could someday support their own families. The plan was simple, take a classic Chicago street food and elevate it with fresh ingredients, all-natural beef, a family recipe and a friendly atmosphere that could be enjoyed by all. Their 5 sons, Carlo, John, Joe Jr, Jimmy and Donny immediately took to the business and helped make the family dream come together.
With multiple locations throughout the Chicagoland area, Buona has expanded quickly over the last 20 years thanks to their dedicated employees and a quality standard that is never compromised. The expanded menu is inspired by family recipes
also passed down like fresh pastas, pizzas, salads and burgers.
The family didn’t stop there. The Buona Catering expansion was created to ensure customers could enjoy a Chicago-style meal in the comfort of their homes with their families or workplaces. Buona also launched a signature Buona at Home retail line that can be found at multiple retail partners in Illinois but also the surrounding states. This product line includes their signature Beef and Gravy, Meatballs, Giardiniera, pastas and much more.
