Since 1983, The Chicago Diner, located at 3411 N. Halsted St., has been helping alter the stereotypes of what it is to be a vegetarian. The 2005 VegNews favorite vegetarian restaurant award winner serves up mouth-watering meat substitutes such as the vegan No Meata Fajitas and Chocolate Cookie Dough Vegan Milkshake. While owner Mickey Hornick and Chef Jo Kaucher have a “no blood, no bones” philosophy when it comes to their restaurant, they do not see vegetarianism as limiting their menu. Below, Mickey Hornick answers our burning questions about this vegetarian mecca:

	How did the idea for the Chicago Diner come about?
	Chef Jo and I used to work at a restaurant that was going under. We knew vegetarianism was the wave of the future and set out on making our dream of a vegetarian restaurant a reality.

How has your customer base changed since you began?

Over the past 23 years we have seen our customer base become more diverse, with more families and people of different ethnic backgrounds frequenting the Diner. A few years ago, after our success on the PBS show Check Please!, we encountered meat-eaters who felt more comfortable coming to the Diner. That show helped expose our non-violent eating philosophy to thousands of Chicagoans and helped change how they view vegetarianism.

	What is one of the biggest challenges the Chicago Diner has had to overcome?
	Initially the Diner had trouble with financing, since banks were skeptical about us being successful without serving meat. Since then, one of the biggest challenges is maintaining consistent quality in a business that is known for high turnover. We have our loyal customers to thank for keeping us going. Also, working in a building built in 1897 and pushing it to its limits!

Why does the Diner support the local animal rights/vegetarian community?

Because we need each other: together we are stronger. We have sponsored groups such as Mercy For Animals, EarthSave Chicago, All Things Organic, FamilyFarm.org, The Chicago Vegetarian Society, and Greenpeace. . We also support animal rights and vegetarian publications like Herbivore, VegNews, and Conscious Choice. Also, the Diner has information on how to go vegetarian available when people come in to eat. We want meat-eaters to see how delicious vegetarianism and veganism can be!