A local GoFundMe campaign has raised tens of thousands to help Noyes Street staple Al’s Deli stay afloat following a co-owner’s medical emergency.

John Pottinger, who runs the local restaurant along with his brother Bob, wrote in a recent post on GoFundMe that Bob had suffered a clogged artery and developed sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection.Though his infection is gone, Bob Pottinger remains in the hospital and will need an operation to unblock his artery, John Pottinger said. According to updates on Facebook, he could face a long recovery.

In response to the news, community members have rallied around the beloved deli. The GoFundMe page, Amis de Al’s Deli, started in August 2020 to help keep the restaurant afloat during COVID-19. But when John Pottinger posted seeking donations to help pay Al’s September rent two weeks ago, the page saw an uptick in donations and an outpouring of support. 

Area residents have also kept tabs on Bob’s condition through a series of handwritten signs, posted by John to the deli’s door over the past few weeks. The most recent update on September 5th shared that Bob’s condition was improving, but that there is “still no date for reopening.”

Opened by Bob and John’s father, the deli’s namesake Al Pottinger, the local eatery serves French-inspired cuisine in northern Evanston. It has drawn customers from across the Chicagoland area since 1949.

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