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Dan Doctor, Manager At The Daily Bar And Grill

By Stephanie Sack | Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Dan Doctor, manager of The Daily Bar And Grill. Credit: Stephanie Sack.

Since 2004, patrons at The Daily Bar and Grill, 4650 N. Lincoln Ave., have enjoyed Chicago native Dan Doctor’s warm hospitality and welcoming smile as they nosh on a little comfort food, watch a game, or relax with a drink on the wonderful patio. Doc, as he is known, runs a tight ship at the busy restaurant and bar but always has a smile and joke for his many neighborhood customers.

1. What’s your favorite part of working at the Daily?

My favorite part of working at the Daily is the interaction that I have with people. From the regulars in the neighborhood to the guys that deliver our beer there is a wealth of interpersonal contact that is vital to this industry. Plus I do not have to wear a suit or work in a cubicle.

2. What’s your favorite shop in the neighborhood?

I enjoy Laurie’s Planet of Sound because I love to shop and spend local. They have a very nice selection of vinyl and some cool movies on their shelves. It can be exhausting walking two blocks to buy something, but somehow I always feel rejuvenated after stopping in.

3. What’s the goofiest thing you have ever seen in the neighborhood?

The goofiest thing that I have seen recently was a basket on a string hanging from a window in an apartment building across the street from the Daily. There was a note attached to the basket that said, ”put a donation in the basket and get a gift.” I watched a handful of people drop a buck or two into the basket and pull the string, at which point the basket was raised to the top floor window and a gift of some sort was then lowered down to the street. Pretty amusing.

4. If you could change one thing about the neighborhood, what would it be?

The one thing I would actually change about Lincoln Square is the fact that there is really no place for a man to go shopping for clothes. Most of the boutiques are geared towards women. There is a small selection of clothing for men at Planet Access, however outside of that the only place for a man to go shopping is Sears. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Sears. I have actually managed to find some decent clothing options there…and not just Carhart…but it is a bit of a bummer that those are the only two options.

5. Mayfest or Folk and Roots Fest?

As much as I love the Old Town School of Folk and as much as I dislike drunken zombies… I would have to say Mayfest.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Christine-Colburn/1016156765 Christine Colburn

    Dan–Hazel just opened a clothing store, and they have a men’s section.   It’s on Montrose just east of Winchester.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Christine-Colburn/1016156765 Christine Colburn

    Dan, Hazel just opened a clothing store, and they have a men’s section.  They’re on Montrose just east of Winchester.

  • jkarczek

    My wife and I usually go out of our way to patronize local businesses, yet we’ve never returned to the Daily Bar & Grill after we walked in a couple years back and then left twenty minutes later without ever being waited on. 

    Since there was a “seat yourself” type sign up, we did just that, grabbed our menus and spent ten minutes deciding on what we wanted to order. No one acknowledged our presence in that time, even after we set our menus down, which I always thought was a universal sign that a customer is ready to order. Looking over at the bar, I could see someone behind the bar talking with two other people who looked like staff. After a couple more minutes, we half-jokingly discussed where we’d eat instead if no one bothered to take our order soon. After another ten minutes of being ignored, we took our business to the Grafton, where we’ve been going ever since. 

    I don’t expect royal treatment, but I refuse to beg anyone to take my money. In the last couple years, we’ve visited several other local restaurants at least ten times, so we’re loyal customers, at least to establishments that bother to serve us.

  • http://twitter.com/_JanetA Janet Abercrombie

    Dan! How’s it going? Remember me from Dr. Gebhart’s office?

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