This
sandwich is widely said to have been created by Jimmy Stefanovic, a
Macedonian immigrant who took over his aunt and uncle's hot dog stand in 1939 (now called Jim's Original) located at Maxwell and Halsted in
Chicago's old
Maxwell Street market district. The Express Grill, which is located right next door to Jim's, advertises itself as the "Original Maxwell St. Polish" on its marquee, although it arrived after Jim's and serves almost an identical menu. Due to their virtually undivided storefronts and 24-hour service at the original Halsted Street location of both stands, Jim's Original and Express Grill had an added element of confusion for the casual observer not attentive to the change in signage a matter of feet in distance. Despite the competition, the Maxwell Polish sausage sandwich soon grew to be one of Chicago's most popular local offerings, along with the
Chicago-style hot dog and the
Italian beef sandwich. Due to the
University of Illinois Chicago's (UIC) South Campus development the Maxwell Street market district was razed and the two stands moved in 2005. After decades of coexisting at the intersection of Halsted and Maxwell Streets, the two have relocated their side-by-side competition a half block east onto Union Avenue, adjacent to the
Dan Ryan Expressway on-ramp at
Roosevelt Road. Maxwell Polish are a staple of
hot dog stands and today are found throughout the city and suburbs, including at restaurant chains such as
Portillo's and
Brown's Chicken, and is available at most sports venues in the area serving concessions. Most of the 24-hour stands (such as the original Express Grill and its neighboring competition, Jim's Original) also serve the pork chop sandwich popularized alongside the Polish sausage sandwich during the days of the old Maxwell Street market. As of September 2021, the Jims Original stand announced that they will be closed from 1 to 6 a.m. due to pressure from the landlord, UIC, over "neighborhood safety reasons". Image:Polish Shop.JPG|The sign at the original Express Grill location on Halsted File:Maxwell Prices 2005.JPG|Price list at the Express Grill File:Maxwell street polish prices 2010.JPG|The menu at Jim's Original ==Sausage==