It’s all her fault!

So we decided to do some digging and try to figure out WHY Evanston has a culture that seems to be simply uneager to embrace late night food. As many of you may know, Evanston is a city with a history deeply rooted in a tradition of prohibition, and was actually a “dry” city until the 1970s, in part due to an amendment in Northwestern’s charter in 1853. This amendment prohibited the sale of alcohol within 4 miles of the university, and had a serious impact on the social development of the city.

Now, this lovely lady above me, friends, is one Miss Frances Willard. Miss Willard is best known for her involvement with the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, an organization founded in Evanston in 1873 and best known for spearheading the prohibition movement. Miss Willard was a driving force in keeping the town dry, clearly not knowing how her efforts would affect those of us looking for a little something to eat at 3 a.m. over 100 years later. The bars in the city have clearly come to their senses, and broken free from Willard’s grasp – now it’s time for restaurants to do the same!