Twisted Eggroll, a Black-woman-owned business specializing in sweet and savory egg rolls, will open a takeout-only restaurant at 657 E. 75th St. in Greater Grand Crossing, following City Council approval of a rezoning ordinance on May 28. Owner Nikkita Randle said the development will cost about $1.5 million, and she is currently securing city permits to begin renovations.
The new location will feature a large commercial kitchen for producing egg rolls for immediate sale, catering events, and frozen to-go bags. Randle also plans to rent approximately 900 square feet of kitchen space to another restaurateur or caterer needing workspace on the South Side.
The menu will include popular items such as buffalo chicken, apple cheesecake, and jerk chicken soul egg rolls, with most offerings focused on top-selling flavors and a rotating flavor-of-the-month special. Customers can place online orders for pickup from assigned smart food lockers as part of the restaurant’s digital grab-and-go system designed to streamline service.
Randle said it will take six to eight months for a full renovation of the building, with hopes that Twisted Eggroll can welcome its first customers by year’s end. “I’m feeling grateful,” Randle said. “It’s been a long journey. My faith has been so strong. That’s what held me through this. I never lost sight of the vision.”
The project comes nearly four years after Randle first announced her intention to open Twisted Eggroll using funding from former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago Recovery Plan Community Development Grant program. Delays stemmed from administrative changes at City Hall, funding challenges—including traditional banks’ reluctance—and miscommunications with city officials.
Randle ultimately closed her funding gap with support from Greenwood Archer Capital, a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and an additional $100,000 grant from the Chicago Community Trust; she purchased the property through Cook County Land Bank Authority channels. Reflecting on her experience overcoming obstacles during development delays and setbacks—such as losing previous supporters—Randle credited community support and guidance from fellow restaurateurs like Stephanie Hart of Brown Sugar Bakery: “A lot of people think resistance is where they should quit… After the biggest storms, you get the prettiest, brightest rainbows.”
