By the Bootstraps

I was walking down Sheridan Avenue in Evanston near the Northwestern campus when a man asked me if I would like a free sandwich.

Being the impoverished graduate student I am, my immediate response was “Yes!”

He handed me a flier for Wilddogz, a sandwich shop on 1625 Chicago Avenue. The flier included three coupons – a Greek Combo Plate packed with food for $6.99; buy one sandwich, get one free; and $5.00 off any order of $25 or more. A new eating option four blocks away from campus just became available to me because of the business’ use of street solicitation.

I usually don’t use those kind of fliers (though I always accept them because I feel so bad for the employees), but its convenience makes me more likely to check out Wilddogz.

Would you visit a business after receiving a coupon/flier?

View Larger Map

Wilddogz, 1625 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL (847) 869-WILD.

Chicago’s first openly gay alderman as reopened debate on including gays in “contract set-asides” used by minorities and women, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Alderman Tom Tunney of the 44th Ward brought this motion “during a Budget Committee hearing called to extend until 2015 a construction set-aside ordinance for minorities and women,” according to the Sun-Times. Corporation Counsel Mara Georges said that while there is no category including gays in those able to receive set-asides, multimillion-dollar contracts exclusively for minorities and women, she was not opposed to considering the move.

Tunney admits there is no push in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community for inclusion in the ordinance.

“We know we’ve been disadvantaged. But, there are programs for women already. And the perception is this would only enhance gay white males. That’s why there’s not consensus within our community,” he said.

Tunney first championed gay inclusion in contract set-asides in 2003. Mayor Richard M. Daley said he was “open to the idea” if the gay community could prove they weren’t able to get city contracts because of prejudice.

I’m not sure how this would affect the minority and women business owners who are currently eligible for these contracts, but this gets into larger social issues that the city may feel uncomfortable tackling. Is there pronounced discrimination in the business world for gays? Is it on an equal level of minorities and women? We’ll keep a close watch on this debate, but what do you think? Should gays have a shot at city set-asides for social minorities?

Photo credit: “Pride flag”