Grumpy Goat Deli

About Us

Grumpy Goat Deli is a pop-up food business and sandwich shop serving communities throughout the Northwest Suburbs. We bring fresh, high-quality sandwiches and comfort food to local breweries, farmers' markets, festivals, and neighborhood events.
Instead of having a permanent restaurant, we bring our food directly to the people. Our goal is simple: make great food, use great ingredients, and give people something they will want to come back for.
The name ''Grumpy Goat'' comes from our personality. We joke that we are stubborn, but that stubbornness is what pushes us to do things the right way. We don't cut corners, settle for lower-quality ingredients, or serve something we aren't proud of.
We wanted to create something between fast-food sandwich chains and expensive sit-down restaurants. We believe everyday food should still be made with care and taste amazing.
Our Story and What We Believe
Grumpy Goat Deli was started by husband-and-wife team Gabriel Brian Smith and Jacqueline Castillo. Together, we have more than 30 years of experience working in restaurants and hospitality throughout the greater Chicagoland area.
After spending years helping build other people's restaurants and bringing their ideas to life, we decided it was time to build something of our own.
There is no large company or big staff behind Grumpy Goat Deli. It's just the two of us doing everything ourselves.
We wake up early to get our ingredients, prepare our meats, make our sides, run our events, serve our customers, and clean up afterward. We are involved in every part of the business.