on Nini’s Deli
Final update: Wednesday, 6/10, 11am
The following is a timeline of the events involving Nini’s Deli, owner Juan “Juany” Riesco and his family, specifically brother Jose Riesco. This is an attempt to bring every detail to light in order to allow the public to make their own decision to either support or discontinue support for Nini’s Deli and Chicago Native, Juan’s apparel brand.
Edit: Nini’s Deli is now permanently closed. Chicago Native is discontinued.
This piece has since been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Eater, and The Hub Chicago.
SATURDAY, 5/30
Nini’s Deli, a Yelp Top 50 Restaurant in the country, experiences a record day in sales.
TUESDAY, 6/2
The #BlackoutTuesday initiative is launched by members of the music and entertainment industry. Their goal is to go silent on social media, reflect on recent events, and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. In essence, if no one posts self-promoting content on social, then news on the #BLM movement, updates on protests, and other relevant news is amplified and not drowned out. People and businesses are encouraged to post a black tile with the hashtags #BlackoutTuesday or #TheShowMustBePaused. Several prominent artists and managers have shown support for Nini’s and Chicago Native in the past.
There is no activity on Nini’s IG Tuesday.
There is no activity on Juan’s personal IG Tuesday.
WEDNESDAY, 6/3
Amidst an effort to report which businesses are remaining silent on the Black Lives Matter movement, Nini’s is mentioned.
On Wednesday afternoon, after receiving several requests for a statement on a previous instagram post, Nini’s Deli releases a statement.
The original caption is quickly picked up and shared on Twitter. Followers ask Nini’s Deli if they support the Black Lives Matter movement. Nini’s does not address the question directly.
The public begins to flood Nini’s and Juany’s IG comments until:
Wednesday ends with this:
THURSDAY, 6/4
Thursday begins with a released text message from Juan, saying that he “does not stand behind any movement that hates all police officers.”
Twitter is quick to link this anti-Black Lives Matter view to Juan’s church, Metro Praise International. The church is anti-Black Lives Matter, anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ, and believe all religions other than Christianity are evil.
3pm. Molly’s Cupcakes cuts ties with Nini’s.
Shortly after this, 2048.c, a retailer showcasing Chicago artists, severs ties with Nini’s and Juan. They will donate proceeds from remaining Chicago Native merchandise to Black Lives Matters and NAACP.
Community members rally and offer to take already-purchased Chicago Native merchandise and flip the designs in order to raise money for Black Trans causes.
Fat Tiger Works will begin accepting Chicago Native pieces in July, exchanging them for Chicago Over Everything t-shirts. There is no charge to exchange your Chicago Native gear for a shirt.
Shortly after, Bang Bang Pie severs ties with Nini’s and Juan.
Around this time, Topo Chico severs ties with Nini’s.
Shortly after, CashDrop, the app Nini’s has used for online to-go orders, drops Nini’s.
Nini’s is accused of falsely claiming their meat has met halal standards in order to profit further amongst the Muslim community.
Haloodie, a service that features halal/zabiha restaurants, severs ties with Nini’s.
In an effort to do some major damage control, Metro Praise International goes on FB live Thursday evening to “Defend Nini’s and Christian Businesses.” The pastor, Joseph Wyrostek (pictured below), explains that the church is against Black Lives Matter because BLM has close ties to Planned Parenthood. Targeting Muslims, Wyrostek believes religions other than Christianity are evil. Any followers or believers that are not Christian will go to hell. Juan comments throughout the livestream, eventually hopping on for a short segment.
Note: The livestream video has since been deleted. There are clips below.
Juan goes on to defend himself and his beliefs. He points out how he has given away free food throughout the West Town/Humboldt Park neighborhoods. He denounces his prior lifestyle. He says that Nini’s meat did not meet Halal standards for 1 week “years ago because his suppliers ran out,” but has met the standards otherwise. He reiterates his belief that all religions outside of Christianity are evil.
Here is Juan’s full 17-minute segment on the FB live stream with MPI.
Thursday ends with this:
FRIDAY, 6/5
8am. Nini’s is open for business, but without the CashDrop service they are only taking in-person orders at their window.
Juan’s brother, Jose Riesco, and other MPI members set up a speaker system outside of Nini’s Deli and begin to preach their beliefs. Jose Riesco fires up his FB live and hops on the mic. Much like the FB livestream the evening prior, it does not go well.
Link to full livestream here.
12pm. Intelligentsia Coffee severs ties with Nini’s.
1:27pm. Chicago Fire severs ties with Nini’s Deli.
1:36pm. Chance the Rapper speaks on the issue.
Twitter is an absolute dumpster fire. Several people show past Facebook posts from Jose. Protesters show up to Nini’s and stand up to MPI.
6pm. Nike Chicago severs ties with Nini’s Deli.
6pm. Juan and crew have boarded up the Nini’s location.
6:33pm. Pat the Manager, manager of Chance the Rapper, speaks on the issue.
9:30pm. A LARGE NONVIOLENT crowd gathers outside of Nini’s. Juan, Jose, and MPI are nowhere to be found.
10:49pm. We Deliver Productions cuts ties with Nini’s.
Friday ends with a former staff member’s reflection on his time at Nini’s Deli.
SATURDAY, 6/6
8am. It is revealed that Jose Riesco tested positive for COVID-19 and continued to be in contact with Juan and Nini’s throughout an entire week of business. Jose believes that Jesus will save him from COVID-19.
10am. Juan, Jose, and MPI pastor Joe Wyrostek go on FB live to “repent” their approach and treatment of Friday’s nonviolent protesters outside Nini’s Deli.
Note: The livestream video has since been deleted. Some clips below.
During the livestream, Joe Wyrostek confirms that MPI’s June 7th service is cancelled due to safety concerns for members amidst a planned peaceful protest outside of the MPI building.
Juan ends his portion of the Facebook Live by saying Nini’s Deli will close for good, he will work to become a minister, and look for employment at another company. He encourages anyone who is interested in joining his church to reach out to him.
4pm. Members of the community paint the Nini’s Deli Pink Wall black. Graffiti soon covers the entire canvas.
7pm. Metro Praise International encourages church members to remove all posts with their former church name from any social media pages. Metro Praise International renames the organization.
Metro Praise International creates a new Facebook page, using the alias of “The Underground Church of Chicago.”
SUNDAY, 6/7
The protest is moved to Nini’s Deli, scheduled for 12pm. Check Twitter for updates.
12pm. Peaceful protesters arrive at Nini’s Deli. They are greeted by members of Metro Praise International. In between protesters and church members, a wall of Chicago police officers. One church member is identified as Bevelyn Beatty. She is there to “stand with the restaurant and their church,” but quickly begins baiting the crowd with another church member.
Correction: A previous version of this piece stated that the MPI members were arrested at Sunday’s protest. This was a mistake on my part. They were not arrested, and the photo I used was from a previous arrest.
Here is a 15-minute video showing the women as they bait the crowd:
And some other clips capturing the peaceful protests.
9:29pm. Christina Susan Riesco, wife of Jose Riesco, claims “BLM MOB shut down her family’s small business.”
MONDAY, 6/8
A police officer is stationed at the corner of Ohio and Noble for the entire day. Visitors pass by to view the messages and drop more Chicago Native gear.
9:46am. A reddit thread from two years ago reveals that Juan has donated 10% of all Chicago Native profits to Metro Praise International over the years.
12pm. The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, Jose Riesco’s employer, opens an investigation into Jose’s public remarks.
3pm. The Nini’s Deli website is updated, featuring the following message:
Claiming religious persecution, the family is seeking $5,000. The GoFundMe has several $5 donors who write “Black Lives Matter” in the comments.
Tuesday, 6/9
After raising nearly $5,400, the fundraiser is pulled by GoFundMe.
9am. Streets and Sanitation crews show up and paint the plywood/boarded up windows black and power wash the messages and graffiti scrolls from the sidewalk. Police are still on the scene.
