Barstool Fund saves beloved Chicago deli

Ken's Diner in Skokie, Ill., has been a staple of the Chicago area's Jewish community for decades.

The diner was established in 1976 as "Kosher City," a kosher grocery and deli. In 1981, it was converted to cross between a sports bar and 1950's Diner. Ken's is known for their burgers, Italian beef, Popcorn Chicken, soups and chili.

Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports launched the campaign to save small businesses on December 22. The fund raised over $2 million dollars from over 36,000 donors in just one week and as of publishing, has currently raised over $16.5 million.

Portnoy, known by fans as "El Presidente," kicked in $500k of his own money for the Barstool Fund and crowdsourced the additional funds.

Portnoy said that the model for restaurants that were eligible for the grants was Borelli's in Long Island, NY, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. Frankie Borelli, the owner's son, is a Barstool producer.

Portnoy called the owner Ken Hechtman personally on Wednesday to give him the good news.

Daniel Peikes, a Chicago based kosher food blogger at Meat Your Vegetables told The Post Millennial, "Barstool has help save a major piece of Chicagoland kosher culinary history. Ken's Dinner, was the place to go when I was growing up. The owners Kenny and Danny Hechtman are great guys, always greeting you with a smile and joke. Thanks to Barstool hopefully my kids can enjoy this local treasure like I did for years to come."

At the time of publishing, the fund has raised over $10,000 for Ken's Diner.