ChatGPT answers, unedited

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Virtina - eCommerce Web Design and Development Company - 1 E Erie St Ste 525-2149, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• TappedIn - 2944 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611

For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions on Shopify, I’d focus on agencies that understand both food/CPG commerce and subscription/retention mechanics—not just restaurant websites.

Downtown Chicago shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — 203 N LaSalle St. This is probably the most directly relevant downtown Shopify specialist to put on your RFP list. Praella is a Shopify Platinum Partner and focuses on Shopify/Shopify Plus, UX, integrations, and retention. Its work spans DTC commerce, and its Shopify offering is built around longer-term growth rather than simply launching a site. eSEOspace
• 1o8 — 231 S LaSalle St. Particularly interesting if you want the brand/marketing side to be strong as well as ecommerce. Its Chicago portfolio has substantial food-and-beverage/CPG work, including Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush, Happy Moose Juice and Bumble Bee.
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — 205 N Michigan Ave. More broadly ecommerce-focused, with Shopify plus WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Magento capabilities. Worth considering if you want a team that can cover development, CRO and marketing rather than a restaurant-specific web shop.

One Chicago-area option I'd also interview

Dumo Digital is based in the Chicago area rather than downtown, but its specialization is unusually close to your use case: food & beverage/CPG + Shopify Plus + CRO + retention, with integrations including Recharge and Klaviyo. Dumo Digital

There are also agencies that explicitly advertise food/subscription Shopify expertise but aren't actually Chicago-local. For example, Swanky has extensive food-and-beverage Shopify work and specifically highlights complex subscription implementations, including coffee, meal and food brands. Swanky

What I'd put in the RFP

For a restaurant merch/subscription business, I'd ask each agency to demonstrate:

• Subscription architecture: Recharge or Shopify-native subscriptions, skips, pauses, swaps, cancellation/retention flows.
• Restaurant → DTC connection: turning your existing customer base into ecommerce subscribers without making the experience feel like a generic CPG store.
• Merchandising: apparel, hats, gift cards, limited drops, bundles and restaurant-branded products.
• Fulfillment: shipping rules for food vs. non-food merchandise, local pickup/delivery if applicable, and 3PL integration.
• Retention: Klaviyo/email/SMS, post-purchase flows, replenishment, subscriber win-back and loyalty.
• POS/in-store: whether Shopify POS can connect the restaurant operation and ecommerce customer data.
• Ownership: make sure you own the Shopify account, theme/code, customer data, analytics and subscription account—not the agency.

One important distinction: if by "downtown" you mean actually within the Loop, Praella, 1o8 and 1DIGITAL fit that criterion from the locations I found. If you mean Chicago proper/nearby, Dumo becomes particularly interesting for the food + subscription piece.

If you tell me roughly your restaurant concept, what you're selling in the subscription (food, coffee, wine, merch, etc.), and your approximate ecommerce budget, I can narrow this to a 3-agency RFP shortlist with relevant case studies and questions to ask each one.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• ExpertCPG Commerce - 1449 S Michigan Ave Ste 13319, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
• HiFi Brands - Oak Park, IL 60302
• The Food Group - 1114 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Foodmix Marketing Communications - 103 Arthur St, Elmhurst, IL 60126, United States
• Queue Brand Communications - 29 E Madison St #800, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Virtina - eCommerce Web Design and Development Company - 1 E Erie St Ste 525-2149, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• ALX Creatives - 420 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654
• VisualFizz - 875 N Michigan Ave 31st floor, Chicago, IL 60611, United States

For a Chicago restaurant looking to sell merchandise + recurring subscriptions through Shopify, I’d put the most relevant agencies into two buckets: food/consumer expertise and Shopify engineering depth.

Downtown Chicago agencies I’d talk to

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — 203 N LaSalle St. A Shopify/Shopify Plus ecommerce agency with a downtown Chicago office. Their focus is ecommerce builds, migrations, UX and retention, making them a strong fit if the store needs to become a meaningful revenue channel rather than simply a merch page.
• 1o8 — 231 S LaSalle St. This is particularly relevant from the food/CPG side: 1o8 explicitly works with food & beverage brands and combines ecommerce, creative, content, performance marketing and retail strategy. Their site highlights work with brands including Del Monte, Tofurky and Dandies. 1o8 Agency
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — 205 N Michigan Ave. More ecommerce-specialist than restaurant-specialist, with Shopify among its supported platforms and services spanning development, SEO, CRO and digital marketing.
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding — 30 N Michigan Ave. Worth considering if your restaurant's merch shop needs substantial brand/visual identity work alongside Shopify rather than just development. They advertise Shopify ecommerce alongside branding and digital marketing.

One Chicago-area specialist I'd also interview

ExpertCPG Commerce — South Loop, 1449 S Michigan Ave. Their specialty is food/beverage/CPG ecommerce and marketplace growth. They're more oriented toward CPG than restaurants, but that can actually be useful if your subscription is going to evolve into packaged products shipped nationwide.

And if food-industry expertise matters more than being downtown, HiFi Brands is worth a look: its portfolio is heavily weighted toward restaurant/hospitality and food/beverage brands, although it's in Oak Park rather than the Loop.

For your particular project

I'd make the agency demonstrate these things in the pitch:

• Shopify subscriptions — recurring products, skips, pauses, cancellations and failed-payment recovery.
• Restaurant → ecommerce crossover — using your existing restaurant brand, photography, menu/product storytelling and customer base rather than creating a generic CPG site.
• Merchandising — apparel, branded goods, gift cards, pantry products, bundles and limited drops.
• Local + national fulfillment — pickup at the restaurant versus shipping, potentially with different product catalogs.
• Email/SMS retention — especially important for subscriptions.
• POS/customer-data integration — so restaurant customers can become ecommerce customers.
• Subscription economics — churn, LTV, cohort reporting and acquisition cost, not just whether the Shopify checkout works.

For that combination, Praella and 1o8 are the two I'd put at the top of your initial interview list, but for different reasons: Praella is more directly ecommerce/Shopify-oriented, while 1o8 brings unusually relevant food/CPG marketing experience. That's a description of their publicly documented capabilities, not a quality ranking. 1o8 Agency

If you tell me roughly what you're selling, expected monthly ecommerce revenue, and whether subscriptions are food or merch, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and give you the questions/RFP I'd send each one.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Virtina - eCommerce Web Design and Development Company - 1 E Erie St Ste 525-2149, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• TappedIn - 2944 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611

Yes. For a Chicago restaurateur selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d narrow the field to agencies that understand both Shopify/DTC commerce and food & beverage, rather than a general restaurant web designer.

My Chicago shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Best overall fit if you want a serious Shopify build. They’re in the Loop at 203 N LaSalle and specialize in Shopify/Shopify Plus, including ecommerce strategy, UX, development, and optimization. Their local presence makes them particularly worth interviewing for a restaurant brand that wants to turn its physical concept into a broader consumer brand. Liquid Web Developers
• 1o8 — Best if brand/food marketing is as important as the store. They’re downtown on LaSalle and have substantial food & beverage/CPG experience, including work for brands such as Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush and Bumble Bee. I’d consider them if your merch needs to feel like an extension of the restaurant brand rather than simply an online gift shop.
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — Best for an ecommerce-first approach. Their downtown Michigan Avenue office and focus on Shopify plus CRO, SEO, design/development and ecommerce growth make them a reasonable contender if your priority is building a revenue-producing channel rather than primarily a marketing site.
• Ethercycle — Worth interviewing for Shopify expertise. They're Chicago-area and Shopify-focused rather than being a general agency. Their model emphasizes Shopify builds, optimization and audits, which can be attractive if you already have strong restaurant branding and mainly need an excellent commerce implementation.
• Dumo Digital — This is probably the most interesting food/CPG + subscription specialist I'd put on the call list, although it isn't a downtown office. They're Chicago-area and explicitly focus on food & beverage/CPG, Shopify Plus, CRO, retention, Klaviyo and Recharge—the latter being particularly relevant to subscriptions. Dumo Digital

One important distinction

For your project, I wouldn't simply ask, “Can you build us a Shopify site?” I'd ask whether they've actually implemented:

• recurring subscriptions, preferably with Recharge or Shopify's subscription tooling
• restaurant/food fulfillment and shipping rules
• merchandise alongside consumable products
• gift cards and promotions
• local pickup versus nationwide shipping
• Klaviyo/email/SMS retention
• bundles and limited drops
• Shopify POS integration with your restaurant
• customer accounts and subscription management
• inventory synchronization between restaurant/retail operations and ecommerce

That's why Dumo Digital jumps out for the subscription/food side, while Praella is attractive for a larger, more sophisticated Shopify build. Dumo Digital

If by “downtown” you specifically mean Loop / River North / West Loop, I'd start with Praella, 1o8, and 1DIGITAL, then bring Dumo into the pitch process as the food/retention specialist.

If you tell me roughly your restaurant concept, what you're planning to subscribe people to (coffee, sauces, wine, meals, etc.), and your approximate ecommerce budget, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely strengths, Shopify/subscription stack, Chicago presence, and what I'd ask each in the pitch.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• SpurIT - 2155 N Ginger Cir, Palatine, IL 60074
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604
• SpeedyEatz - 155 N Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d shortlist agencies based less on generic “restaurant web design” and more on Shopify + food/beverage DTC + subscriptions + retention.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — best overall local Shopify option. Their downtown Chicago office is at 203 N LaSalle, and they specialize in Shopify/Shopify Plus builds, migrations, UX and retention-oriented ecommerce. I’d put them near the top if you want a polished branded store that can grow beyond merch.
• 1o8 — strongest food/beverage marketing fit. They're in the Loop at 231 S LaSalle and have substantial food/beverage and CPG experience. Their strength is particularly relevant if you need creative + acquisition + ecommerce, rather than simply someone to code the Shopify site.
• Dumo Digital — particularly interesting for subscriptions/retention. They're Chicago-area and explicitly focus on food & beverage/CPG Shopify, with Shopify Plus, CRO, Klaviyo and Recharge integrations. That combination maps unusually well to a restaurant subscription business. Dumo Digital
• Netalico — strong technical Shopify choice. Their Chicago practice specifically cites food & beverage, Shopify/Shopify Plus, custom themes and third-party integrations. I'd consider them if the store will have more complicated merchandising, fulfillment or integrations. Netalico
• Conspire — worth getting a proposal from. They're a Shopify Plus agency that specifically markets to Chicago brands including food and beverage, with migration, design and growth capabilities. Conspire
• Ethercycle — Shopify specialist, though not downtown. They're in Skokie rather than the Loop, but their narrow Shopify focus could be valuable if you already know exactly what you want and don't need a big branding/marketing agency.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd send the same brief to Praella, 1o8, and Dumo Digital and compare their proposals.

Your brief should explicitly say:

Restaurant brand → Shopify ecommerce → branded merchandise + recurring food/product subscriptions → potentially local pickup alongside nationwide shipping → email/SMS retention → integration with existing restaurant/customer data.

The subscription architecture is the part I'd scrutinize. You don't just want an agency that can make a pretty Shopify storefront; you want someone who has actually dealt with recurring billing, skips/pause/cancel flows, fulfillment cadence, bundles, shipping rules, customer retention and Klaviyo.

Also, don't automatically jump to Shopify Plus. For a restaurant launching a relatively modest merch/subscription operation, standard Shopify + the right subscription stack may be considerably more economical.

If you tell me roughly (1) what you're selling in the subscription, (2) expected monthly online revenue, and (3) whether you need local pickup/delivery, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and tell you what I'd expect each to charge.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604

For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions (coffee club, sauce club, meal kits, gift boxes, memberships, etc.), I’d prioritize agencies that understand DTC food ecommerce, not just restaurants or generic Shopify builds. The tricky parts are usually subscriptions, fulfillment rules, inventory, Shopify POS integration, email retention, and conversion-focused merchandising.

Here are Chicago-area firms I’d put on a shortlist:

Strong Shopify + food/beverage ecommerce fits

Praella - eCommerce Agency

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-761-3218)

Best fit: Established restaurant brands moving into a serious ecommerce channel.

• Chicago-based Shopify Plus agency with experience in Shopify migrations, UX, conversion optimization, integrations, and custom development. Shopify Praella
• Downtown office location: 203 N LaSalle St.
• Good match if you want a polished brand experience around merch, subscriptions, loyalty, and repeat purchasing.

Ask them:

• “How many food/beverage subscription programs have you built?”
• “Which subscription stack do you recommend (Recharge, Skio, Shopify Subscriptions, etc.)?”

Ethercycle

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 877-384-3740)

Best fit: Shopify-first brands that want focused ecommerce expertise.

• Shopify-focused consultancy/development agency serving the Chicago area.
• A good candidate if you already have branding/content handled and need a strong Shopify operator.

Ask about:

• Subscription migrations
• Shopify theme customization
• CRO testing
• Retention flows

1o8

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-324-4970)

Best fit: Restaurant brands that need creative + ecommerce + marketing together.

• Chicago Loop agency with ecommerce, UX, content, and production capabilities.
• Their content capabilities can be valuable for food brands where photography, recipes, storytelling, and brand voice drive sales.

Good if your goal is:

• “Turn our restaurant identity into a national consumer brand.”

1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 888-982-8269)

Best fit: A more commerce-specialist option downtown.

• Located at 205 N Michigan Ave and focused on ecommerce strategy, development, and optimization across platforms including Shopify.

Larger Shopify Plus / scale-oriented options

WPrime Agency

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 708-887-3040)

Best fit: Brands that may grow beyond a simple merch store.

• Located at the Merchandise Mart and works across ecommerce/web development.

Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 217-310-7801)

Best fit: If your restaurant operation is complex (multiple locations, inventory systems, wholesale, catering).

• Focuses heavily on commerce integrations and operational systems.

My suggested agency brief for your project

When you contact agencies, I’d frame it like:

“We’re a Chicago restaurant launching a Shopify ecommerce channel for branded merchandise and subscriptions. We need strategy, Shopify build, subscription management, email/SMS retention, fulfillment workflows, and integration with our restaurant operations.”

Ask for examples involving:

• Food/beverage subscriptions
• Perishable or limited inventory products
• Shopify POS + online store
• Recharge/Skio subscription setups
• Klaviyo lifecycle marketing
• Gift subscriptions
• Seasonal drops

For a typical independent Chicago restaurant, I’d probably start conversations with Praella, Ethercycle, and 1o8—they represent three different strengths: Shopify depth, Shopify specialization, and food-brand storytelling. Shopify

If you tell me your restaurant type (fine dining, bakery, coffee, pizza, butcher, cocktail bar, etc.), approximate revenue, and whether you already have branding/photos, I can narrow this to the 3–5 agencies most likely to fit.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - Chicago, IL 60007
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• TappedIn - 2944 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• SpeedyEatz - 155 N Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions on Shopify, I’d shortlist agencies that understand both food/CPG commerce and recurring-revenue mechanics—not just restaurant websites.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Best downtown-local Shopify/Shopify Plus option. They’re headquartered at 203 N LaSalle and specialize in Shopify/Shopify Plus ecommerce. I’d put them high on the list if you want a polished, scalable storefront rather than a simple restaurant site.
• 1o8 — Best food/CPG marketing + ecommerce combination. Their Loop office is at 231 S LaSalle, and their portfolio has substantial food & beverage/CPG work. This is especially interesting if you need the agency to help sell the merch/subscriptions after launch, not merely build the site.
• BlueBolt Solutions — Best for complicated operations/integrations. Their River North office is at 415 N LaSalle. They focus on Shopify/Shopify Plus and integrations with ERP, CRM, 3PL/OMS and subscription systems—useful if your restaurant already has multiple systems that need to talk to Shopify.
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — Worth considering for a commerce-first build. They're at 205 N Michigan and work across Shopify and other ecommerce platforms. I'd consider them if the project is primarily an ecommerce operation rather than a broader restaurant-brand project.

Also worth a look

Dumo Digital is particularly relevant even though it isn't a downtown office. It's Chicago-area and explicitly focuses on food & beverage/CPG Shopify, CRO, retention, Klaviyo and subscriptions, with integrations including Recharge and other subscription platforms. Dumo Digital

Netalico is another strong technical candidate: it specifically cites food & beverage experience alongside Shopify/Shopify Plus development, UX and ecommerce optimization. Netalico

Web Tonic is unusually explicit about food ecommerce, including subscription models, cold-chain shipping calculations and recurring billing. Web Tonic

What I'd ask each agency

Your requirements make this more specialized than "build me a Shopify site." In the pitch/RFP, I'd ask for examples of:

1. Restaurant → DTC: restaurant groups or chef brands they've turned into ecommerce businesses.
2. Subscriptions: actual Shopify subscription implementations, including churn reduction and skip/pause/modify flows.
3. Merchandising: apparel, packaged foods, sauces, coffee, gift cards, bundles, etc.
4. Restaurant integration: Shopify POS, your existing POS, loyalty, email/SMS and customer database.
5. Fulfillment: whether they've handled multiple fulfillment locations, local pickup, shipping and food/perishable products.
6. Retention: Klaviyo/email/SMS and post-purchase flows—not just the initial website.
7. Ownership: whether you retain the Shopify theme/code, accounts and customer data.
8. Ongoing optimization: CRO and subscription growth after launch.

If it were my project, I'd interview Praella, 1o8 and Dumo Digital first. Praella gives you the strongest downtown Shopify-shop option; 1o8 brings unusually relevant food/CPG marketing depth; Dumo looks particularly aligned with the subscription + retention side of your business. Dumo Digital

If you tell me roughly your restaurant concept, expected monthly online sales, what you're subscribing people to (coffee/food/membership/etc.), and whether you need local delivery, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely fit, pricing tier, Shopify expertise, and relevant food-industry case studies.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - Chicago, IL 60007
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• TappedIn - 2944 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604

If by downtown you mean the Loop/River North/West Loop area, I’d put food + subscription experience ahead of generic Shopify expertise. For a restaurant selling merch, giftable products, and recurring memberships/subscriptions, these are the strongest fits I found:

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — 203 N LaSalle St, Loop. My first call for a more sophisticated build. They’re Chicago-headquartered, a Shopify Platinum Partner, and focus on Shopify/Shopify Plus, UX, integrations, migrations, and retention. eSEOspace
• 1o8 — 231 S LaSalle St, Loop. Particularly interesting if you want the ecommerce site tied closely to food/CPG marketing and customer acquisition. Their food-and-beverage roster includes Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush, Happy Moose Juice, and Bumble Bee.
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — 205 N Michigan Ave. More ecommerce-first than restaurant-first; worth considering if the shop itself is the primary business objective and you want Shopify plus CRO/SEO/marketing under one roof.
• Design In Chicago — West Loop/Fulton Market. A smaller creative shop that combines branding, design, Shopify development, content and marketing. I'd consider them if the merch brand needs to feel like an extension of the restaurant's identity rather than a generic ecommerce store.
• Netalico — Not a downtown office I’d prioritize for proximity, but technically one of the more compelling Chicago-market options. They specifically cite food & beverage Shopify work and have a featured Food & Beverage Shopify project, plus Shopify Plus, Klaviyo and ongoing ecommerce support. Netalico Netalico
• Dumo Digital — Also Chicago-area rather than downtown, but particularly relevant to your model: they specialize in CPG/food & beverage Shopify, CRO and retention, and explicitly integrate Recharge for subscriptions alongside Klaviyo and other retention tools. Dumo Digital

What I'd shortlist for your restaurant

1. Praella if you're envisioning a serious branded commerce operation—merch, subscriptions, loyalty, integrations, and room to scale.

2. Dumo Digital if subscriptions/retention are the heart of the business. Their Recharge + Shopify + Klaviyo experience maps unusually well to recurring food/merch revenue. Dumo Digital

3. 1o8 if your bigger question is "How do I turn my restaurant brand into a DTC food/consumer brand?" Their food/CPG background is a real advantage.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Virtina - eCommerce Web Design and Development Company - 1 E Erie St Ste 525-2149, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• Allevi8 Marketing - Chicago, IL 60007
• TappedIn - 2944 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions on Shopify, I’d narrow the field pretty aggressively. You want an agency that understands food/CPG DTC, subscriptions, retention, and the connection between your physical restaurant and online brand, rather than a generic web-design shop.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — best overall if you want a sophisticated Shopify build. They’re downtown at 203 N LaSalle and are a Shopify Platinum Partner. Their focus is Shopify/Shopify Plus, ecommerce UX, development, and retention. I’d put them near the top if you're envisioning a polished restaurant brand that could grow substantially online.
• 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing fit. They're downtown at 231 S LaSalle and have specific food & beverage experience, including Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush, Happy Moose Juice, and Bumble Bee. Their strength is less "just build my Shopify site" and more connecting ecommerce with acquisition, content, and growth. Dumo Digital
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — worth interviewing for a commerce-first build. They're at 205 N Michigan and specialize in ecommerce across Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento, with design, development, SEO and CRO under one roof.
• WPrime Agency — smaller downtown option. They're at the Merchandise Mart and do ecommerce, UX/UI and web development. I'd consider them if you want a more hands-on agency rather than a large Shopify implementation partner.

One I'd seriously consider even though it's not downtown

Ethercycle — very Shopify-centric. They're in the Chicago area rather than the Loop, but Shopify is their specialty rather than one platform among many. That's potentially valuable for a restaurant merch/subscription operation where the details of Shopify, apps, checkout and conversion matter.

There are also some particularly relevant food/CPG Shopify specialists that aren't downtown. Dumo Digital, for example, is based in the Chicago area and explicitly works with food & beverage brands, Shopify Plus, CRO, Klaviyo and Recharge subscriptions. Dumo Digital Netalico likewise specifically cites food & beverage experience and Shopify/Shopify Plus development. Netalico

What I'd ask each agency

Don't just ask, "Can you build Shopify?" I'd give them this exact brief:

Restaurant brand with an existing physical location/brand presence. Need Shopify ecommerce for branded merchandise, packaged food/beverage, giftable products, and recurring subscriptions. Need integration with our restaurant/POS ecosystem, email/SMS retention, subscriptions, bundles, gifting, local pickup/shipping, and a premium brand experience.

Then ask for 2–3 examples of food/beverage Shopify stores they've actually built, and specifically ask:

• What subscription platform would you use—Recharge, Skio, Shopify's native subscription tooling, or something else?
• How would you handle restaurant POS + Shopify customer/inventory data?
• Can customers combine subscription products and one-time merchandise?
• How would you handle local pickup vs. shipped orders?
• What would you use for email/SMS—Klaviyo, etc.?
• Who owns the Shopify account, theme, pixels, customer data and integrations after launch?
• What's the post-launch CRO/retention plan, rather than simply handing over the finished site?

My first three calls would be Praella, 1o8, and Ethercycle—with 1o8 particularly interesting if your goal is to turn the restaurant into a broader consumer brand, and Praella if the Shopify experience itself is the priority. Conspire Dumo Digital

If you tell me your restaurant concept, approximate monthly ecommerce budget, and whether you already use Shopify/POS/Klaviyo, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare them on likely fit, subscription capabilities, food-industry experience, and expected project scale.

Then ask for 2–3 examples of food/beverage Shopify stores they've actually built, and specifically ask:

• What subscription platform would you use—Recharge, Skio, Shopify's native subscription tooling, or something else?
• How would you handle restaurant POS + Shopify customer/inventory data?
• Can customers combine subscription products and one-time merchandise?
• How would you handle local pickup vs. shipped orders?
• What would you use for email/SMS—Klaviyo, etc.?
• Who owns the Shopify account, theme, pixels, customer data and integrations after launch?
• What's the post-launch CRO/retention plan, rather than simply handing over the finished site?

My first three calls would be Praella, 1o8, and Ethercycle—with 1o8 particularly interesting if your goal is to turn the restaurant into a broader consumer brand, and Praella if the Shopify experience itself is the priority.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - Chicago, IL 60007
• TappedIn - 2944 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604
• Shero Commerce - Shopify Plus Agency - 21 Glen Pond Dr, Red Hook, NY 12571, United States

Yes. I’d narrow the field quite a bit for a Chicago restaurant selling merchandise + recurring subscriptions. You want more than a generic Shopify web shop—you want someone who understands hospitality, recurring revenue, fulfillment, and ideally POS/loyalty integration.

My Chicago shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Best overall downtown Shopify/Plus candidate. They’re headquartered at 203 N LaSalle and specialize in Shopify/Shopify Plus ecommerce, with a strong emphasis on retention and revenue. I’d put them high on the list if you expect the restaurant brand to become a substantial DTC business.
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — Best downtown general ecommerce option. Their Michigan Avenue office is right in the Loop, and they handle Shopify alongside SEO, CRO, design and broader ecommerce growth. Shopify
• WPrime Agency — Worth considering for a smaller/mid-sized build. They're at the Merchandise Mart and combine web/ecommerce development with UX, SEO and digital marketing.
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC — Best if the operation is technically complicated. Their downtown/Wacker presence and ecommerce practice are geared toward integrations—ERP, POS, WMS, 3PL, inventory, etc.—rather than just making a pretty storefront.

One agency I'd talk to even though it's not downtown

Dumo Digital is particularly interesting for your use case. They're Chicago-area based and explicitly focus on food & beverage/CPG Shopify, Shopify Plus, CRO and retention, with integrations including Recharge and Klaviyo. That's unusually close to your merch + subscription model. Dumo Digital

There's also a specialist worth knowing about: The Chicago Web Co. is a Chicago Shopify partner with food-and-drink listed among its industries and 12+ years of Shopify experience. Shopify

The wildcard: hospitality-specific Shopify

If you're open to an agency outside Chicago, Shrimpton Agency is almost tailor-made for this brief. Their hospitality-commerce practice specifically covers restaurants/bars, branded merchandise, subscription boxes, gift cards, loyalty, F&B ordering and POS integrations on Shopify Plus. Shrimpton Agency

For a restaurant, that's a more relevant capability set than simply hiring a highly rated Shopify developer.

What I'd ask each agency

Give them the same brief:

"We operate a Chicago restaurant and want a Shopify store selling branded merchandise plus recurring subscription products. It needs to work alongside our restaurant/POS operation, support gift cards and email/SMS retention, and eventually scale to multiple locations/products."

Then ask specifically:

1. Show me 2–3 food/hospitality Shopify builds you've actually launched.
2. Who will own the subscription architecture? Ask about Recharge or Shopify's native subscription capabilities.
3. How would you connect Shopify to our POS/inventory?
4. How would you handle restaurant pickup vs. shipped merchandise?
5. What would you use for retention—Klaviyo, loyalty, memberships, etc.?
6. What happens after launch? You want ongoing CRO/merchandising, not an agency that disappears after deployment.
7. What would you not build custom? Good agencies should know where Shopify apps are preferable to expensive custom development.

My first three calls would be Praella, Dumo Digital, and Shrimpton. Praella gives you the strongest downtown/Shopify-Plus option, Dumo is particularly compelling for food + subscriptions, and Shrimpton gives you a useful hospitality-specialist benchmark. Dumo Digital Shrimpton Agency

If you tell me roughly your restaurant's annual revenue, number of locations, expected merch/subscription volume, and whether you're already on Toast/Square/Lightspeed, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare likely project cost, Shopify tier, subscription stack, POS integration approach, and what I'd ask each one in the pitch meeting.

What I'd ask each agency

Give them the same brief:

"We operate a Chicago restaurant and want a Shopify store selling branded merchandise plus recurring subscription products. It needs to work alongside our restaurant/POS operation, support gift cards and email/SMS retention, and eventually scale to multiple locations/products."

Then ask specifically:

1. Show me 2–3 food/hospitality Shopify builds you've actually launched.
2. Who will own the subscription architecture? Ask about Recharge or Shopify's native subscription capabilities.
3. How would you connect Shopify to our POS/inventory?
4. How would you handle restaurant pickup vs. shipped merchandise?
5. What would you use for retention—Klaviyo, loyalty, memberships, etc.?
6. What happens after launch? You want ongoing CRO/merchandising, not an agency that disappears after deployment.
7. What would you not build custom? Good agencies should know where Shopify apps are preferable to expensive custom development.

My first three calls would be Praella, Dumo Digital, and Shrimpton. Praella gives you the strongest downtown/Shopify-Plus option, Dumo is particularly compelling for food + subscriptions, and Shrimpton gives you a useful hospitality-specialist benchmark.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - Chicago, IL 60007
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand food/CPG logistics—not just agencies that can make a pretty Shopify theme.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Best overall downtown Shopify option. They’re headquartered at 203 N LaSalle and specialize in Shopify/Shopify Plus, including retention-oriented ecommerce. I’d put them near the top if you want a polished brand site plus serious ecommerce infrastructure.
• BlueBolt Solutions — Best for a technically complex subscription operation. Their Chicago office is at 415 N LaSalle. They specifically work with Shopify Plus, subscriptions, custom apps, checkout customization and integrations. Good candidate if your restaurant has complicated fulfillment, loyalty, POS or recurring-order requirements.
• 1o8 — Best food/CPG marketing fit. Their downtown office is at 231 S LaSalle, and food & beverage is a major vertical—they cite work with brands including Del Monte, Tofurky and Dandies. Their strength is broader than Shopify: ecommerce + retail strategy + performance marketing + creative. 1o8 Agency
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — Worth considering for a smaller/mid-sized operation. They're downtown at 205 N Michigan and are ecommerce-first, with Shopify among their platforms. Their broader services could be useful if you want the same shop handling SEO, CRO and marketing.

Also worth interviewing

Dumo Digital is particularly interesting if you're treating the restaurant as a consumer brand rather than simply adding a merch page. They're Chicago-area, specialize in food & beverage/CPG Shopify work, and explicitly integrate Shopify with Recharge, Klaviyo and retention/CRO programs. Dumo Digital

Netalico is another strong Shopify/food-beverage specialist; its Chicago practice specifically cites food & beverage, Shopify Plus, custom themes and third-party integrations. Netalico Netalico

What I'd ask them to build

For a restaurant, I wouldn't pitch this as simply "a Shopify merch store." I'd ask for:

• Restaurant-branded merchandise with bundles and gift cards
• Subscription products — e.g. monthly coffee/beans, sauces, pantry items, wine if legally applicable, chef's club, etc.
• Flexible subscription management — skip, pause, swap, change frequency
• Restaurant ↔ ecommerce integration — ideally Shopify POS, customer profiles and loyalty
• Local pickup/delivery + nationwide shipping
• Gift subscriptions
• Email/SMS lifecycle marketing through Klaviyo or similar
• Upsells between restaurant visits and ecommerce purchases
• A design that feels like your restaurant, rather than a generic DTC food brand

For your particular brief, I'd interview Praella, BlueBolt, 1o8, and Dumo and make them all respond to the same one-page scope. That should make the differences in strategy, technical depth and pricing pretty obvious.

If you tell me your restaurant name, approximate annual revenue, what you want to subscribe people to, and whether you already use Toast/SevenRooms/Resy/OpenTable, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their relevant food/Shopify work, likely project size, and downtown location.

For your particular brief, I'd interview Praella, BlueBolt, 1o8, and Dumo and make them all respond to the same one-page scope. That should make the differences in strategy, technical depth and pricing pretty obvious.

If you tell me your restaurant name, approximate annual revenue, what you want to subscribe people to, and whether you already use Toast/SevenRooms/Resy/OpenTable, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their relevant food/Shopify work, likely project size, and downtown location.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• Allevi8 Marketing - Chicago, IL 60007
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• TappedIn - 2944 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions on Shopify, I’d prioritize agencies that understand food/CPG, subscriptions, retention, and physical fulfillment, rather than a generic restaurant web-design shop.

My shortlist

1. Praella - eCommerce Agency — best overall fit

• Downtown at 203 N LaSalle.
• Shopify/Shopify Plus specialist with a strong ecommerce focus.
• I’d put them first if you want a polished brand experience plus serious Shopify engineering and room to scale.
• 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing fit

• Downtown at 231 S LaSalle.
• Their specialty is explicitly CPG, with a dedicated Food + Bev practice and ecommerce/retail capabilities. Their work spans brands such as Del Monte, Dandies and Tofurky. 1o8 Agency
• Particularly interesting if the goal isn't just building the shop, but driving recurring revenue through acquisition, content and paid media.
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — good downtown ecommerce option

• 205 N Michigan Ave.
• More ecommerce/generalist than food-specialist, but potentially worth an RFP if you want Shopify plus SEO, paid acquisition, CRO and development under one roof.
• SITE IT NOW — good West Loop/local option

• 1016 W Jackson Blvd.
• Shopify development plus broader web/ecommerce and digital-marketing capabilities. I'd consider them for a smaller or mid-sized restaurant project where you want a hands-on local team rather than an enterprise agency.

One non-downtown firm I'd absolutely interview

Dumo Digital is based in the Chicago area and is unusually aligned with your use case: its positioning specifically covers food & beverage, Shopify Plus, CRO, Klaviyo and Recharge. That combination is much closer to "restaurant → recurring ecommerce business" than simply "build me a Shopify site." Dumo Digital

There's also Netalico, which explicitly cites Chicago food & beverage experience and Shopify/Shopify Plus development. Netalico

What I'd put in your RFP

Don't just ask, "Can you build Shopify?" Ask each agency to show you:

• 2–3 food/restaurant/CPG Shopify launches they've actually done.
• A subscription architecture—e.g. recurring merch/food boxes, skip/pause, frequency changes, failed-payment recovery.
• Their experience with Recharge or Shopify's subscription tooling.
• How they'd connect Shopify to your POS, inventory and fulfillment.
• Restaurant pickup/local delivery vs. nationwide shipping logic.
• Merchandising for limited drops and restaurant-branded products.
• Klaviyo/email/SMS retention, especially subscription churn and win-back.
• How they would turn your existing restaurant guests into ecommerce subscribers.
• Who owns the Shopify theme/code after launch.
• A 12-month estimate for build + ongoing CRO/retention, not just the initial website.

My first three calls would be Praella, 1o8, and Dumo Digital. Praella for ecommerce/Shopify depth, 1o8 for food/CPG growth, and Dumo for the particularly relevant Shopify + food/bev + subscriptions + retention combination.

If you tell me roughly your restaurant concept, number of locations, expected merch/subscription volume, and budget (e.g. $25k vs. $75k+), I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare them on likely fit, capabilities, location, and estimated project level.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - Chicago, IL 60007
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merchandise + recurring subscriptions, I’d narrow the field to agencies that understand both Shopify/DTC commerce and food & beverage, rather than a generic restaurant web-design shop.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — strongest overall fit. Downtown at 203 N LaSalle, and specifically focused on Shopify/Shopify Plus ecommerce. I’d put them near the top if you want a polished consumer brand plus serious ecommerce infrastructure.

praella.com

• 1o8 — particularly interesting for food/CPG. Their Chicago office is at 231 S LaSalle, and food + beverage is explicitly one of their core verticals, with ecommerce/retail, performance marketing, creative and brand work under the same roof. 1o8 Agency

1o8.agency

• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — good if growth marketing matters as much as the build. They're at 205 N Michigan and work across Shopify plus SEO, paid marketing, CRO and other ecommerce functions. Netalico
• Netalico — worth interviewing for a more technically sophisticated Shopify build. Their Chicago practice specifically cites food & beverage experience and Shopify/Shopify Plus development. They also showcase food/beverage clients including Mellow and Flying Ostrich. Netalico Netalico

netalico.com

• Dumo Digital — perhaps the most directly aligned with food subscriptions. They're Chicago-area rather than downtown, but explicitly specialize in CPG/food & beverage and Shopify, with Recharge subscription, Klaviyo retention, CRO and Shopify Plus expertise. Dumo Digital

dumodigital.com

For your particular project

I'd interview Praella, 1o8, and Dumo Digital first.

The key isn't simply "can you build Shopify?" I'd ask each agency to show you a live food/restaurant/CPG ecommerce project involving recurring purchases, then ask how they'd architect:

• merch alongside food/product sales
• monthly/weekly subscriptions
• subscription skips, pauses and cancellations
• pickup vs. shipping vs. local delivery
• gift subscriptions
• restaurant POS/customer-data integration
• email/SMS retention
• loyalty and VIP programs
• seasonal drops and limited merch
• Shopify customer accounts
• inventory synchronization between restaurant operations and ecommerce

One important distinction: if you're primarily selling your restaurant's branded merch and a subscription club rather than shipping prepared food nationwide, you probably don't need an expensive Shopify Plus/enterprise build. A well-designed Shopify store with a subscription platform and good CRM/email integration could be considerably more economical.

If you tell me your restaurant, approximate monthly ecommerce revenue/target, what the subscription includes, and whether you're shipping food or just merch/benefits, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely strengths, location, food-industry evidence, Shopify expertise, and what I'd ask them to quote.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• Penguin E-Commerce - 20 Danada Square W #222, Wheaton, IL 60189, United States
• B&B Online inc - 1022 Denham Pl, Schaumburg, IL 60194, United States
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• The Food Group - 1114 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

Yes. I’d narrow the field considerably for a restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions, because you want more than a pretty Shopify site—you need subscription architecture, retention/email, merchandising, and ideally experience with food/CPG.

My Chicago shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Loop

Probably my first call for a serious Shopify build. They’re Chicago-headquartered, focused on Shopify/Shopify Plus, and position themselves around revenue and retention rather than just web design.

• 1o8 — Loop

Particularly interesting if your restaurant has a strong consumer brand and you want food/CPG marketing + DTC ecommerce around the store. Their downtown team has food-and-beverage experience with brands including Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush and Bumble Bee.

• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — Michigan Ave

More ecommerce-generalist, but genuinely downtown and covers Shopify, CRO, SEO, paid marketing and other commerce platforms. Worth including if you want one agency handling the broader acquisition funnel.

• WPrime Agency — Merchandise Mart

A local option with Shopify capability and hospitality/retail experience. I'd consider them for a smaller or mid-sized project, though I'd probe specifically for subscription/retention case studies before selecting them.

One I'd seriously consider even though it's not downtown

Dumo Digital is based in the Chicago area and is unusually aligned with your use case: it explicitly specializes in food & beverage/CPG, Shopify Plus, CRO, Klaviyo and Recharge. That's a very relevant combination for restaurant merch + subscriptions. Dumo Digital

There are also larger Shopify specialists such as Netalico, which specifically cites food & beverage experience and Shopify/Shopify Plus development. Netalico Netalico

What I'd ask them

Don't just ask “Can you build Shopify?” Ask:

1. Show me a restaurant, food, beverage, or CPG Shopify store you've launched.
2. Show me a subscription business using Recharge or Shopify subscriptions.
3. How would you structure restaurant merch + subscription products + gift purchases in one storefront?
4. How will you connect Shopify to Klaviyo/email/SMS and our loyalty program?
5. Can we sell subscriptions for things like monthly coffee/beans, sauces, pantry products, or restaurant credits while also selling one-off merch?
6. Who owns the Shopify account, theme, pixels, customer data and creative files after launch?
7. What's your ongoing CRO/retention offering after launch?

My first three calls would be Praella, Dumo Digital, and 1o8—with Dumo particularly compelling if subscriptions and food/CPG expertise are the priority, and Praella if you want a more substantial Shopify implementation partner.

If you tell me your restaurant concept, approximate monthly online revenue/expected launch volume, and what the subscription is, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely fit, project scope, and price tier.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Wuhoo Digital Group - 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• ALX Creatives - 420 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• 10com Web Development - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand both Shopify implementation and food/CPG retention—not just restaurant websites.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Downtown / LaSalle

• Probably my first call for your brief.
• Shopify/Shopify Plus specialist with a downtown Chicago office.
• Their positioning specifically includes subscriptions, complex ecommerce, integrations and retention tooling.
• Best if you want a polished brand experience that can eventually grow beyond merch into a serious DTC channel.
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — Loop / Michigan Ave

• Interesting if you want the agency to help with ecommerce + acquisition + CPG/food marketing, rather than simply build the Shopify store.
• Their Chicago operation specifically highlights CPG and food/beverage experience alongside DTC/Shopify work.
• Wuhoo Digital Group — River North

• More restaurant/hospitality-oriented than the big Shopify specialists.
• They explicitly work with restaurants, hospitality and retail/ecommerce, so I'd consider them if the site needs to feel like an extension of your restaurant brand rather than a generic DTC storefront.
• ALX Creatives — River North

• Worth a conversation if branding, photography/video, UGC and social content are important alongside Shopify.
• They cite a food-related Shopify project (Phantom Chef) and offer ecommerce, creative production and performance marketing under one roof.

Also worth putting on the RFP

Netalico looks particularly relevant technically. Its Chicago Shopify practice explicitly calls out food & beverage, Shopify Plus, custom themes and ecommerce optimization, and its portfolio includes food/beverage Shopify work. Netalico Netalico

Dumo Digital is another strong food/CPG specialist, particularly if your priority is subscriptions + retention + Klaviyo/email/SMS + CRO. It's Chicago-area rather than downtown proper. Dumo Digital

What I'd ask them to scope

For a restaurant, I'd make the RFP unusually specific:

• Shopify storefront integrated with your existing restaurant brand
• Merchandise and giftable products
• Recurring subscription program — e.g. monthly sauce/coffee/wine* club, member box, etc.
• Pause/skip/change-frequency functionality
• Restaurant pickup/local delivery vs. nationwide shipping
• Gift subscriptions
• Email/SMS lifecycle automation
• Loyalty/member perks that can work both online and in-store
• Shopify POS integration
• GA4 + attribution
• Photography/content production
• Ongoing CRO after launch

The key question I'd ask every agency is: “Show me a live food/restaurant/CPG Shopify store where you personally implemented the subscription and retention stack—not just the website design.”

If you tell me what you're selling/subscribing people to and roughly what budget you have ($10–25k, $25–50k, $50k+), I can narrow this to the 3 agencies I'd actually interview and compare them on food experience, Shopify/subscriptions, likely fit, and downtown location.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Wuhoo Digital Group - 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave #1300, Chicago, IL 60631, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Ste 1300, Chicago, IL 60631
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling branded merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand both Shopify implementation and food/CPG retention, rather than a generic restaurant web-design shop.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — strongest overall fit. Downtown at 203 N LaSalle, and specifically focused on Shopify/Shopify Plus. Their capabilities include subscriptions, complex payments, integrations, and other ecommerce-heavy requirements. They also have a substantial Shopify portfolio. eSEOspace

Best for: a polished, scalable brand store where subscriptions become a meaningful revenue channel.

• 1o8 — strongest food/CPG marketing fit. They're downtown on LaSalle and have explicit food & beverage experience, including brands such as Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush, Happy Moose Juice and Bumble Bee.

Best for: if you want the agency to help with acquisition, content, paid media and ecommerce, not just build the Shopify site.

• BlueBolt Solutions — strongest technical/integration option. Their Chicago operation works with Shopify/Shopify Plus and focuses heavily on connecting ecommerce to ERP, CRM, 3PL/OMS and subscription systems.

Best for: a restaurant group with complicated inventory, fulfillment, POS or multiple locations.

• Wuhoo Digital Group — interesting local/smaller-agency option. They're in River North and explicitly work with restaurants, hospitality and ecommerce businesses.

Best for: a more hands-on local agency if your shop isn't going to require a huge Shopify Plus implementation.

• Netalico — worth getting a proposal from even though its positioning is broader. It explicitly cites food & beverage Shopify work and has a Chicago Shopify Plus practice. Netalico Netalico

Best for: a serious ecommerce build where you want design + development + ongoing optimization.

For your particular model

I'd actually put Praella and 1o8 at the top of the RFP list.

Your requirements aren't simply "restaurant website + online store." I'd ask each agency to demonstrate how they'd handle:

1. Merch: apparel, hats, glassware, gift cards, limited drops, bundles.
2. Subscriptions: monthly/weekly products, skip/pause/cancel, failed payments, subscriber-only perks.
3. Restaurant ↔ ecommerce crossover: turning diners into ecommerce customers and vice versa.
4. Local vs. shipped products: merchandise shipping nationwide while potentially handling restaurant-specific pickup/delivery.
5. Retention: email/SMS flows, replenishment, subscription win-backs and VIP/customer segmentation.
6. Shopify POS: especially important if you want the merch/subscription business integrated with your physical restaurant operation.
7. Seasonality: holiday gifting, limited menu/product drops and event-driven campaigns.

One important distinction: food-industry experience isn't necessarily the same thing as restaurant experience. For subscriptions, fulfillment, bundles and DTC retention, I'd value an agency's food/CPG ecommerce experience more heavily than an agency that has merely built restaurant websites.

If you tell me your restaurant concept, approximate annual revenue, what you're planning to sell/subscribe to, and whether you already have a Shopify/POS setup, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare likely project scope, strengths, weaknesses, and questions to ask each one.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• The Food Group - 1114 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• ExpertCPG Commerce - 1449 S Michigan Ave Ste 13319, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Logical Media Group - 445 W Erie St #208, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave #1300, Chicago, IL 60631, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ice Nine Online - 444 W Lake St Ste 1700, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Nansen LLC - 300 W Hubbard St Ste 301, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions on Shopify, I’d prioritize agencies with actual food/CPG ecommerce experience—not just generic Shopify design shops.

My Chicago shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Best overall for a sophisticated build. Downtown at 203 N LaSalle. They focus heavily on Shopify/Shopify Plus and are set up for complex ecommerce including subscriptions, custom integrations, and retention. Good choice if you expect the restaurant brand to become a serious DTC business.
• 1o8 — Best food/CPG marketing fit. Their downtown office is at 231 S LaSalle, and food/beverage is a genuine vertical for them, with work involving brands such as Del Monte, Tofurky, Dandies and others. They combine ecommerce with paid media, creative, social and retail strategy. 1o8 Agency
• BlueBolt Solutions — Best for technical complexity. Downtown at 415 N LaSalle. They work with Shopify/Shopify Plus and specifically call out integrations with subscription platforms, 3PL/OMS, ERP, CRM and marketplaces. I'd consider them if your merch/subscription operation will have complicated fulfillment or POS/backend requirements.
• Design In Chicago — Best if brand/design is the priority. They're in the West Loop and do Shopify plus branding, web design, photography/video and digital marketing under one roof.
• The Food Group — Worth considering as the food-industry specialist, particularly if you need positioning, content, shopper marketing and customer acquisition alongside ecommerce. They're in Fulton Market and are explicitly food/beverage-focused. I wouldn't make them my first pick for the actual Shopify engineering, though.

One non-downtown agency I'd also interview

Shop Techs is worth putting on the RFP. Their Chicago food/beverage practice specifically addresses subscription boxes, freshness/perishable shipping and local delivery, and they cite Shopify work involving subscription-box and food brands. Shop Techs

What I'd ask for in your RFP

Your requirements are more specific than "build me a Shopify site." I'd ask each agency to demonstrate how they'd handle:

1. Restaurant merch — apparel, glassware, sauces, packaged goods, gift cards, limited drops.
2. Subscriptions — recurring coffee/food/merch boxes, skip/pause, frequency changes, failed-payment recovery and subscriber self-service.
3. Restaurant ↔ DTC crossover — turning diners into online customers without making the site feel like a generic CPG store.
4. Fulfillment — shipping vs. local pickup/delivery, potentially different rules for perishable and non-perishable products.
5. Retention — email/SMS, loyalty, post-purchase flows and subscriber churn.
6. POS/customer data — whether they can connect your existing restaurant tech stack to Shopify rather than creating a second isolated customer database.

If it were my project, I'd interview Praella, 1o8 and BlueBolt first. Praella for Shopify depth, 1o8 for food/brand/growth expertise, and BlueBolt for the underlying commerce architecture.

I can also narrow this to 3–5 agencies with actual restaurant/chef/food-brand case studies, approximate project budgets, and the right contact/project pages if you tell me whether you're thinking <$25k, $25–75k, or $75k+ for the build.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave #1300, Chicago, IL 60631, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• Digital Marketing 360 - 333 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Wuhoo Digital Group - 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Penguin E-Commerce - 20 Danada Square W #222, Wheaton, IL 60189, United States

For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions (coffee club, sauces, gift boxes, VIP dining memberships, monthly drops, etc.), I’d prioritize agencies that understand DTC food/CPG, Shopify subscriptions, retention/email/SMS, and the operational realities of food fulfillment—not just restaurants websites.

Here are Chicago-area agencies I’d put on your shortlist:

Best fits for a restaurant → ecommerce expansion

Praella - eCommerce Agency

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-761-3218)

Strong candidate if you want a polished Shopify Plus build with room to scale. They are downtown-based and focus heavily on Shopify/Shopify Plus, including complex commerce setups, integrations, subscriptions, and DTC experiences. eSEOspace

Good fit for:

• Restaurant brand becoming a national DTC brand
• Premium merch + subscriptions
• Custom storefront experience
• Loyalty, retention, personalization

Uncap

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-469-0944)

More operations-focused. A good fit if your restaurant already has complexity: multiple locations, wholesale, inventory systems, catering, or plans to grow beyond a merch shop.

Good fit for:

• Restaurant groups
• Wholesale sauces/packaged goods
• Shopify connected to POS, ERP, inventory, fulfillment

Ethercycle

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+18773843740)

A Shopify-specialist shop rather than a general marketing agency. Good if you already have brand/creative direction and need Shopify expertise.

Good fit for:

• Launching quickly
• Shopify theme customization
• Conversion improvements
• Subscription-focused DTC stores

Digital Marketing 360

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 847-557-2344)

Worth considering for food/CPG because they position around consumer brands, Shopify growth, CRO, and retention marketing—not only development. Dumo Digital

Good fit for:

• A restaurant brand with strong social following
• Turning customers into repeat online buyers
• Email/SMS-driven subscription growth

1o8

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-324-4970)

More of a consumer brand/content/growth partner. Their downtown presence and CPG experience may fit restaurants that need storytelling, creative, and ecommerce strategy together.

Good fit for:

• Chef-led brands
• Hospitality brands selling nationally
• Brand campaigns + ecommerce

Agencies I’d interview first for your specific use case

If I were running a Chicago restaurant launching merch + subscriptions, I’d probably take intro calls with:

1. Praella — if you want a premium, scalable Shopify build.
2. Dumo Digital — if growth, retention, and subscriptions are the priority. Dumo Digital
3. Ethercycle — if you want Shopify expertise without unnecessary enterprise overhead.
4. Uncap — if fulfillment, inventory, POS, or operational complexity is a concern.

Questions I’d ask before hiring

A good agency should have strong answers to:

• “Have you built food/beverage subscription flows using Shopify + Recharge/Skio/other subscription tools?”
• “How would you handle restaurant customers becoming ecommerce customers?”
• “What’s your plan for email/SMS retention after the first purchase?”
• “How would you structure bundles (gift boxes, seasonal drops, memberships)?”
• “Have you integrated Shopify with POS, inventory, or 3PL systems?”
• “Who owns the Shopify account, theme files, apps, and customer data?”

For a restaurant, the winning setup is usually not just a store—it’s a customer retention engine that turns diners into repeat online buyers.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Millennial Web Development - 329 W 18th St Ste 413, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Elevate Studios: A Digital Design Firm - 5416 N Wayne Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• 10com Web Development - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant launching a Shopify merch + subscription business, I’d prioritize agencies that understand food/CPG operations—not just restaurants or generic web design.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Best overall fit for a sophisticated Shopify build. They’re downtown at 203 N LaSalle and specialize heavily in Shopify/Shopify Plus, including subscriptions and complex ecommerce requirements. Their broader Shopify portfolio and technical depth make them worth a serious conversation.
• 1o8 — Best food/CPG marketing fit. They’re actually downtown at 231 S LaSalle and specifically work with food & beverage brands including Del Monte, Tofurky, Dandies and others. Their offering spans ecommerce, retail, performance marketing and creative, so they're particularly interesting if you need to grow the shop after launch, not just build it.
• Netalico — Strongest explicitly documented food + Shopify combination. Their Chicago offering specifically calls out food & beverage, Shopify/Shopify Plus, custom UX, Klaviyo and featured food projects. They aren't downtown, though, so I'd rank them slightly below the first two if physical proximity matters. Netalico
• Shop Techs — Good if subscriptions are central to the business. Their Chicago practice specifically addresses food subscriptions, bundles, freshness, dietary filtering and local delivery; they also cite a subscription-box project and custom app/integration work. Again, they're not necessarily a downtown office. Shop Techs
• Web Tonic — Interesting technical option for food ecommerce. They explicitly describe Chicago food/beverage work involving subscription models, cold-chain shipping calculations and recurring billing. Web Tonic

If I were hiring for your restaurant

I'd interview Praella, 1o8, and Netalico first.

The distinction I'd make is:

One important point: your project is really a restaurant-to-CPG transition, not simply a restaurant website. I'd want the agency to show you a live example of handling subscriptions, fulfillment cadence, bundles, inventory, shipping, email/SMS retention and restaurant-brand storytelling.

For subscriptions specifically, I'd also ask each agency to explain their preferred Shopify subscription stack (e.g. Recharge vs. another solution), how they'd handle pause/skip/change-frequency, and how they prevent a subscription order from becoming an operational headache for your restaurant.

If you tell me your restaurant concept, approximate merch/subscription SKUs, and whether you're targeting Chicago-only or nationwide shipping, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare likely project scope/pricing, relevant case studies, and who I'd contact first.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Chicago Internet(Fireplace's Specialist) Marketing Company - Kensium LLC - 200 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Elevate Studios: A Digital Design Firm - 5416 N Wayne Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• 10com Web Development - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave #1300, Chicago, IL 60631, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions through Shopify, I’d narrow the field quite a bit. You want an agency that understands food/CPG ecommerce, subscriptions, retention, and restaurant-brand storytelling, not just a generic Shopify developer.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — best overall downtown fit. It’s headquartered at 203 N LaSalle St and is a Shopify-focused agency with experience in complex ecommerce, including subscriptions and integrations. Its Shopify portfolio includes consumer brands, and it has recently reached Shopify Platinum Partner status. eSEOspace

Best for: a polished, ambitious restaurant brand that wants merch + subscriptions to become a meaningful revenue channel.

• 1o8 — strongest food/CPG marketing angle. Its downtown LaSalle office is particularly relevant because the agency has publicly documented work with Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush, Happy Moose Juice, and Bumble Bee, alongside DTC/ecommerce and performance marketing.

Best for: if you need not just the Shopify build but also customer acquisition, content, paid media, and growth after launch.

• BlueBolt Solutions — strongest technical/operations option. At 415 N LaSalle, BlueBolt focuses on Shopify/Shopify Plus and integrations with subscription platforms, ERP, CRM, PIM and 3PL systems.

Best for: a restaurant group where ecommerce will eventually have complicated inventory, fulfillment, loyalty, POS, or subscription infrastructure.

• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding — interesting if brand/restaurant identity is the priority. They're downtown at 30 N Michigan Ave and have specific experience helping restaurant groups unify branding across locations, while also offering Shopify ecommerce.

Best for: a chef/restaurant brand where the merch shop needs to feel like an extension of the restaurant rather than a generic online store.

One more I'd interview

Dumo Digital isn't downtown—it’s Chicago-area—but its specialization is unusually close to what you're describing: food & beverage/CPG, Shopify Plus, CRO, lifecycle email/SMS and retention. It explicitly positions itself around turning DTC into a profitable channel. Dumo Digital

What I'd ask each agency

Don't just ask, “Can you build us a Shopify store?” Ask:

1. Show me a food/restaurant/CPG Shopify store you've built.
2. Have you implemented subscriptions? Which platform—Recharge, Skio, Shopify native, etc.?
3. How would you structure restaurant merch vs. consumable products?
4. How would you handle recurring shipments, skips, pauses and cancellations?
5. Can Shopify connect to our POS, loyalty program and email/SMS stack?
6. Who owns the ongoing CRO/retention work after launch?
7. What would you recommend for a restaurant brand trying to turn diners into ecommerce customers?

For your particular use case, I'd interview Praella, 1o8, and Dumo Digital first. Praella gives you the strongest downtown/Shopify combination, 1o8 brings unusually relevant food-brand marketing experience, and Dumo looks especially compelling if subscriptions + repeat purchase are central to the business.

If you tell me roughly what you're selling (apparel, sauces, coffee, frozen food, memberships, etc.), your expected monthly online revenue, and whether you already use Shopify/POS, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and compare their likely fit, capabilities, and project complexity.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Wuhoo Digital Group - 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave #1300, Chicago, IL 60631, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Ste 1300, Chicago, IL 60631
• Penguin E-Commerce - 20 Danada Square W #222, Wheaton, IL 60189, United States
• SEO Design Chicago - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Elevate Studios: A Digital Design Firm - 5416 N Wayne Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling branded merch + recurring subscriptions through Shopify, I’d prioritize agencies that understand both food/CPG operations and retention/subscription ecommerce, rather than a generic restaurant web shop.

My shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Downtown, 203 N LaSalle St. Probably my first call if you want a serious Shopify build. They focus heavily on Shopify/Shopify Plus and explicitly handle complex requirements including subscriptions, custom payments, B2B/wholesale and integrations.
• 1o8 — Downtown, 231 S LaSalle St. Particularly interesting if you want the agency to help with CPG/food positioning, acquisition and ecommerce, rather than just build the storefront. Their profile specifically highlights food & beverage and Shopify/DTC work.
• SITE IT NOW — West Loop, 1016 W Jackson Blvd. A more local, brand-oriented option if you want restaurant identity/creative tied closely to the Shopify build. They offer Shopify ecommerce alongside branding and digital marketing.
• Wuhoo Digital Group — River North, 444 N Wabash Ave. Worth a conversation if the restaurant/hospitality side of the business is central; they specifically work with restaurants, hospitality, retail and ecommerce.
• Design In Chicago — West Loop, 159 N Sangamon St. More of a creative/design-led choice, with Shopify development, branding, photography/video and digital marketing under one roof.

One I'd consider even though it isn't downtown

Ethercycle is in Park Ridge, but it's unusually Shopify-centric. Its public work includes Shopify Plus migration and ongoing optimization, so I'd put it on the shortlist if commerce performance matters more than having a downtown office.

There are also agencies explicitly positioning themselves around Chicago food/beverage Shopify. For example, Netalico says it has food & beverage experience and Shopify Plus expertise, including a Food & Beverage Shopify case study, while Conspire specifically markets Shopify Plus services to Chicago food-and-beverage brands. Netalico Conspire

What I'd ask them to build

For your particular model, I'd make the brief substantially more specific than “restaurant merch site”:

• Shopify storefront integrated with your restaurant brand
• Merch: apparel, sauces, packaged goods, gift cards, etc.
• Subscription products with skip/pause/change-frequency functionality
• Restaurant-to-ecommerce customer crossover
• Bundles and gift sets
• Local Chicago pickup/delivery options alongside nationwide shipping
• Klaviyo/email/SMS retention
• Loyalty or VIP membership
• POS integration if you use Shopify POS
• Analytics showing restaurant customer → ecommerce customer → subscriber conversion
• Strong mobile experience, since restaurant customers will disproportionately shop from their phones

My first three calls would be Praella, 1o8, and Ethercycle—with Praella strongest for the technical/subscription side, 1o8 strongest for food/CPG growth, and Ethercycle strongest for Shopify specialization.

If you tell me your restaurant concept, approximate ecommerce revenue/traffic, and whether the subscription is food (e.g. coffee/sauce/meal kits) or a membership, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare likely project fit, capabilities, and ballpark budget.

• Shopify storefront integrated with your restaurant brand
• Merch: apparel, sauces, packaged goods, gift cards, etc.
• Subscription products with skip/pause/change-frequency functionality
• Restaurant-to-ecommerce customer crossover
• Bundles and gift sets
• Local Chicago pickup/delivery options alongside nationwide shipping
• Klaviyo/email/SMS retention
• Loyalty or VIP membership
• POS integration if you use Shopify POS
• Analytics showing restaurant customer → ecommerce customer → subscriber conversion
• Strong mobile experience, since restaurant customers will disproportionately shop from their phones

My first three calls would be Praella, 1o8, and Ethercycle—with Praella strongest for the technical/subscription side, 1o8 strongest for food/CPG growth, and Ethercycle strongest for Shopify specialization.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Wuhoo Digital Group - 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Penguin E-Commerce - 20 Danada Square W #222, Wheaton, IL 60189, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Ste 1300, Chicago, IL 60631

For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions (coffee club, sauce club, monthly pantry box, VIP dining membership, etc.), I’d prioritize agencies that understand DTC food/CPG, Shopify subscriptions, retention/email/SMS, and the operational side (inventory, fulfillment, shipping, POS).

A few Chicago-area agencies worth putting on your shortlist:

Best fits for a restaurant-to-ecommerce expansion

Praella

Praella - eCommerce Agency

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-761-3218)

Strong Shopify/Shopify Plus focus, downtown Chicago presence, and experience with more complex ecommerce setups like subscriptions, integrations, and custom commerce experiences.
Good fit if you want: a polished brand storefront, subscription architecture, and room to scale beyond merch.

Netalico Commerce

netalico.com
Netalico specifically highlights Shopify work with food & beverage brands alongside DTC and B2B commerce. Netalico
Good fit if you want: a restaurant brand turned into a national consumer product business.

Conspire Agency

conspireagency.com
Conspire is Shopify Plus-focused and has worked with consumer brands, including food-related ecommerce examples. Conspire
Good fit if you want: strong UX/design plus conversion optimization.

Ethercycle

Ethercycle

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 877-384-3740)

A Shopify-focused ecommerce consultancy in the Chicago area with emphasis on store builds, migrations, and ongoing optimization.
Good fit if you want: a Shopify specialist rather than a broad branding agency.

More enterprise / operations-heavy options

Makro

makroagency.com
Makro focuses on Shopify Plus, integrations, custom apps, and more complex commerce workflows. Makro Agency
Good fit if you’re thinking: multiple locations, wholesale, catering, retail products, or significant scale.

BlueBolt Solutions

BlueBolt Solutions

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-236-4507)

BlueBolt works on digital commerce systems and integrations, including Shopify/Shopify Plus-related projects.
Good fit if you have: complicated inventory, POS, ERP, or fulfillment requirements.

What I’d ask them before hiring

For a restaurant ecommerce build, I’d specifically ask:

• Have you launched food subscriptions using Shopify + Recharge/Skio/other subscription platforms?
• How would you handle: - monthly club billing
• gift subscriptions
• local pickup vs nationwide shipping
• frozen/perishable products (if applicable)
• restaurant POS integration
• Shopify customer accounts tied to dining loyalty?
• Can you show 3 live food/beverage Shopify stores you built?
• Who owns: - conversion strategy
• email/SMS flows
• photography/content direction
• post-launch optimization?

My shortlist for a downtown Chicago restaurateur would probably be:

1. Praella — if brand experience and subscriptions are central
2. Netalico — if food/CPG ecommerce experience is the priority
3. Ethercycle — if you want Shopify expertise with a smaller specialist feel
4. Conspire — if design + conversion are major goals

If you tell me your restaurant concept (fine dining, fast casual, bakery, coffee, sauce/retail products, etc.) and approximate budget ($10k, $30k, $75k+), I can narrow this down further.

Ethercycle

A Shopify-focused ecommerce consultancy in the Chicago area with emphasis on store builds, migrations, and ongoing optimization.
Good fit if you want: a Shopify specialist rather than a broad branding agency.

More enterprise / operations-heavy options

Makro

makroagency.com
Makro focuses on Shopify Plus, integrations, custom apps, and more complex commerce workflows. Makro Agency
Good fit if you’re thinking: multiple locations, wholesale, catering, retail products, or significant scale.

BlueBolt Solutions

BlueBolt Solutions

BlueBolt works on digital commerce systems and integrations, including Shopify/Shopify Plus-related projects.
Good fit if you have: complicated inventory, POS, ERP, or fulfillment requirements.

What I’d ask them before hiring

For a restaurant ecommerce build, I’d specifically ask:

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Wuhoo Digital Group - 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• ALX Creatives - 420 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• 10com Web Development - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave #1300, Chicago, IL 60631, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Millennial Web Development - 329 W 18th St Ste 413, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza Suit 1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

Yes. I’d narrow the field pretty aggressively because restaurant commerce + merch + subscriptions is a different problem from a generic Shopify brochure site.

My Chicago shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Downtown, LaSalle St.

Probably my first call. They’re Shopify/Shopify Plus-focused and specifically handle complex ecommerce requirements including subscriptions, custom payments, personalization and integrations. That maps well to a restaurant selling merch plus recurring products. Liquid Web Developers

• BlueBolt Solutions — River North.

Stronger choice if your restaurant has complicated operations. Their work includes Shopify/Plus, ecommerce integrations, 3PL/OMS, CRM/ERP and subscription platforms—useful if the shop needs to connect cleanly to your existing restaurant systems.

• Design In Chicago — West Loop.

More of a brand/creative + ecommerce shop. Worth considering if the merch store needs to feel like an extension of your restaurant brand rather than an off-the-shelf Shopify site. They do Shopify development alongside branding, design, photography/video and marketing.

• Wuhoo Digital Group — River North.

Interesting for a restaurant operator because they explicitly work with restaurant groups, hospitality and ecommerce/retail, rather than just generic DTC brands.

• ALX Creatives — River North.

A more creative/performance-oriented option; their portfolio includes a Shopify ecommerce project for Phantom Chef, including branding, ecommerce and marketing.

One non-downtown agency I'd still interview

Dumo Digital is based in the Chicago area and is unusually aligned with your use case: food & beverage/CPG, Shopify Plus, CRO, Klaviyo and retention. If subscriptions are a major revenue stream rather than an add-on, I'd put them in the pitch process even though they're not downtown. Dumo Digital

There's also a useful specialist benchmark outside Chicago: Shrimpton Agency explicitly builds Shopify Plus commerce for restaurants, bars and hospitality, including branded merchandise, subscription boxes, gift cards, loyalty and POS integrations. Their capabilities are basically a checklist of what I'd want your Chicago agency to demonstrate. Shrimpton Agency

Who I'd call first

For your particular brief, I'd rank them:

1. Praella — best overall Shopify/subscription fit
2. Wuhoo — strongest restaurant/hospitality orientation among the downtown options
3. BlueBolt — best if integrations/operations are complicated
4. Design In Chicago — best if brand/merch aesthetics are paramount
5. ALX Creatives — best if you want creative + acquisition marketing bundled in

When you interview them, don't just ask “Can you build Shopify?” Ask them to show you a live restaurant/hospitality or food-commerce case study, and specifically explain how they'd handle recurring subscriptions, restaurant POS/customer data, gift cards, shipping of merch, fulfillment, and cancellation/skip logic.

If you tell me roughly your restaurant concept, number of locations, what you'd sell in the subscription, and approximate ecommerce budget, I can narrow this to the 2–3 agencies I'd actually invite to pitch.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• ALX Creatives - 420 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654
• Ethercycle - 4905 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie, IL 60077, United States
• Danie Lyn The Brand - 401 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1200, Chicago, IL 60611
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• Lutzen, Creative Solutions for Business - 1100 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60608, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave #1300, Chicago, IL 60631, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Ethercycle - 3 S Prospect Ave, Ste 12, Park Ridge, IL 60068

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling branded merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand food/CPG ecommerce—not just generic Shopify design.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Praella - eCommerce Agency — best overall for a sophisticated build

• Downtown office at 203 N LaSalle.
• Shopify Plus agency with strengths in UX, integrations, custom development, CRO and subscriptions.
• Shopify lists it as a Platinum Partner. Shopify
• I'd interview them if you expect the ecommerce business to become substantial rather than simply an online merch add-on.
• 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing fit

• Downtown at 231 S LaSalle.
• This is particularly interesting for a restaurant because food & beverage is one of its stated specialties, with work involving brands such as Del Monte, Tofurky, Dandies and others.
• They combine ecommerce with performance marketing, creative/content and retail strategy. 1o8 Agency
• My pick if customer acquisition and ongoing marketing matter as much as the build.
• Shop Techs — strongest food-specific Shopify proposition

• Their Chicago offering explicitly targets food & beverage and calls out subscriptions, freshness, dietary filters and local delivery zones.
• They report 200+ Shopify stores and specifically describe subscription solutions for food brands. Shop Techs
• They're not necessarily my first choice if downtown physical presence is critical, but they're worth including in the RFP.
• BlueBolt Solutions — good for a more technically complex operation

• Near River North at 415 N LaSalle.
• Shopify/Shopify Plus, custom integrations, migrations and ongoing support.
• Better candidate if the restaurant has complicated inventory, fulfillment, POS/ERP or other systems that need to connect to Shopify.
• ALX Creatives — interesting boutique option

• River North, 420 W Huron.
• Their portfolio includes a food business, Phantom Chef, where they describe building a Shopify ecommerce site alongside branding, photography and marketing.
• Could be a good fit if you want the site to feel like an extension of the restaurant brand rather than a generic ecommerce storefront.

One wildcard I'd seriously consider

Ethercycle isn't downtown—it serves the Chicago area—but it's unusually Shopify-focused. Its work centers on Shopify development, migrations, optimization and ongoing ecommerce strategy. The Chicago Web Co

For your particular model, I wouldn't make "downtown" the deciding criterion. Actual subscription + food ecommerce experience is more valuable than an office in the Loop.

What I'd put in your RFP

Ask each agency to specifically demonstrate:

• A restaurant/food/CPG Shopify build
• Subscription implementation and which platform they recommend (e.g. Recharge vs. Shopify's native capabilities)
• Merch + food subscriptions living in the same customer account/cart
• Handling subscription skips, pauses, swaps and cancellations
• Gift subscriptions
• Local pickup/delivery vs. nationwide shipping
• Shipping rules for perishable vs. non-perishable merchandise
• POS/customer-data integration with your restaurant operation
• Klaviyo/email/SMS lifecycle strategy
• How they'll turn your existing restaurant customers into ecommerce subscribers
• Ongoing CRO and merchandising after launch

If it were my project, I'd interview Praella, 1o8, and Shop Techs first, with BlueBolt as the technical/integration comparison. 1o8 is especially compelling if you want the ecommerce shop to become a real customer-acquisition channel rather than just a merch storefront. 1o8 Agency Shop Techs

If you tell me your restaurant concept, approximate monthly ecommerce revenue/target, what you're selling subscriptions for (coffee, sauces, meals, membership, etc.), and whether you already use Toast/Square/Shopify, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare likely fit, capabilities, and red flags.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions on Shopify, I’d shortlist agencies based less on generic Shopify capability and more on three things: food/CPG experience, subscription/retention expertise, and whether they understand restaurant brands rather than just ecommerce catalogs.

My shortlist

1. Praella — best overall for a serious Shopify build
   • Downtown office at 203 N LaSalle.
   • Shopify Platinum Partner with a strong Shopify Plus practice.
   • Shopify itself lists Praella's capabilities across UX, conversion, integrations, migrations and custom apps. www.shopify.com
   • Particularly interesting if you envision subscriptions becoming a substantial revenue stream and want sophisticated integrations rather than a basic theme.
   • My pick if: you're building a long-term ecommerce channel, not just an online merch page.

2. 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing fit
   • Downtown at 231 S LaSalle.
   • This one stands out because food & beverage is explicitly one of its core verticals, with work involving brands such as Del Monte, Tofurky, Dandies and Bumble Bee. Its offering spans ecommerce, retail, performance marketing, content and brand strategy. www.1o8.agency
   • My pick if: you need the agency to help turn your restaurant brand into a consumer packaged/merchandise business—not merely build the store.

3. Netalico — best Shopify + food/beverage ecommerce specialization
   • Its Chicago Shopify practice specifically cites food & beverage experience and Shopify Plus. It also highlights food-related work including The Country Butcher and Flying Ostrich. netalico.com
   • Stronger technical/ecommerce orientation than a traditional restaurant marketing agency.
   • My pick if: the subscription operation, fulfillment, integrations and conversion mechanics are the hard part.

4. Dumo Digital — worth a look for subscription/retention
   • Chicago-area Shopify Plus agency focused on CPG, food & beverage and consumer brands.
   • Its specialization is particularly relevant to you: Shopify builds + CRO + Klaviyo retention + email/SMS + analytics. www.dumodigital.com
   • My pick if: you're thinking "restaurant → membership/subscription brand" and want lifecycle marketing to be central to the project.

One I'd consider alongside those

Americaneagle.com, Inc. is in the Loop at 200 W Jackson and is much more of an enterprise digital/ecommerce partner. I'd only put them into the mix if you're anticipating substantial complexity—multiple locations, large catalog, significant integrations, loyalty, etc.

How I'd rank them for your project

One important distinction: don't let an agency sell you a "restaurant Shopify site." What you're really building is a DTC consumer brand attached to a restaurant. I'd want the architecture to handle merch, giftable products, recurring subscriptions, bundles, customer accounts, email/SMS retention, shipping, and potentially restaurant loyalty/POS integration from day one.

If you tell me roughly your restaurant's price point, number of locations, what you'd put in the subscription (food, merch, membership/perks, etc.), and expected first-year online revenue, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and tell you what I'd ask each one to quote.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• 1o8 - 231 S LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• BlueBolt Solutions - 415 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Uncap - 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave #1300, Chicago, IL 60631, United States
• Penguin E-Commerce - 20 Danada Square W #222, Wheaton, IL 60189, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• B My Marketer - 4553 N Magnolia Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Allevi8 Marketing - 6127 S University Ave Ste 110K, Chicago, IL 60653, United States
• B&B Online inc - 1022 Denham Pl, Schaumburg, IL 60194, United States
• Wuhoo Digital Group - 444 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency - 205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d narrow the field considerably. You don’t just need a pretty Shopify site—you need someone who understands DTC food, subscriptions, retention, fulfillment, and restaurant-brand storytelling.

My Chicago shortlist

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — Best overall fit if “downtown” is important. Their Chicago office is at 203 N LaSalle, and they specialize heavily in Shopify/Shopify Plus. Their capabilities include subscriptions and complex ecommerce integrations. I’d put them at the top of the list for a restaurant brand that wants a polished consumer experience plus serious ecommerce infrastructure.
• 1o8 — Best if you want ecommerce + food/CPG marketing. They're downtown at 231 S LaSalle and have specific food/beverage experience, including Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush, Happy Moose Juice and Bumble Bee. They'd be particularly interesting if you want the agency to help drive online sales after launch, not just build the store.
• BlueBolt Solutions — Best for a more technically sophisticated Shopify build. Their Chicago office is on N LaSalle, and they focus on Shopify/Shopify Plus, custom integrations, migrations and ongoing ecommerce optimization. Good candidate if your restaurant has complicated POS, inventory, loyalty, subscription or operational requirements.
• Netalico — Worth an RFP even though it's not strictly a downtown shop. It explicitly lists food & beverage as a specialty, is a Shopify Plus Premier Partner, and has showcased food/beverage Shopify work including Flying Ostrich. Netalico Netalico
• Shop Techs — Interesting specialist for the subscription side. Their Chicago offering specifically discusses food/beverage subscriptions, freshness, dietary filtering and local delivery zones. They report 200+ Shopify stores and a 4.9/5 client rating. Shop Techs

Who I'd call first

For your particular use case, I'd do three discovery calls:

1. Praella — strongest downtown + Shopify combination.
2. 1o8 — strongest food/CPG marketing angle.
3. Netalico or Shop Techs — strongest specialist comparison for the actual ecommerce/subscription build.

One important distinction: if you're selling restaurant-branded merchandise + a subscription such as monthly coffee, sauces, wine, prepared foods, or a recurring “restaurant club,” I'd make the agency demonstrate a real subscription architecture—not just say “yes, Shopify supports subscriptions.” The build should account for Recharge/Shopify subscriptions, churn/skip/pause flows, recurring fulfillment, customer accounts, bundles, gift subscriptions, email/SMS retention, and POS/customer-data integration where applicable.

If you tell me what the subscription actually is, your approximate budget ($15k/$30k/$75k+), and whether you're in the Loop/River North/West Loop, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely fit, relevant food clients, location, Shopify credentials, and what I'd ask each one in the pitch.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions through Shopify, I’d prioritize agencies that understand food/CPG DTC rather than generic restaurant web designers.

My shortlist

1. Praella — best overall downtown fit
   • Located at 203 N LaSalle St in the Loop.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus specialist with experience in subscriptions, custom commerce, and complex integrations.
   • This is probably where I’d start if you want a polished brand experience that can grow beyond merch into a serious DTC channel. www.axiswebart.us

2. 1o8 — strongest food/CPG marketing angle
   • Downtown at 231 S LaSalle St.
   • Particularly interesting because its work spans food & beverage/CPG, DTC growth, performance marketing, and Shopify-related commerce.
   • I'd consider them if you need the agency to help drive sales after the site launches, not just build it. www.dumodigital.com

3. BlueBolt Solutions — technical Shopify option
   • 415 N LaSalle Dr, near River North.
   • Shopify Plus-focused, with custom development, integrations, migrations and ongoing support.
   • Better fit if your restaurant has complicated POS/inventory/fulfillment requirements or you expect the shop to become substantial.

4. 1DIGITAL AGENCY — downtown ecommerce growth shop
   • 205 N Michigan Ave.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus, migrations, integrations, SEO/PPC and broader ecommerce growth.
   • Worth getting a proposal from if you want merchandising + acquisition + ecommerce under one roof.

One non-downtown agency I'd absolutely interview

Uncap isn't downtown—it’s near O'Hare—but it is unusually Shopify-centric. Its Chicago practice focuses on Shopify Plus and unified DTC/B2B commerce. www.uncap.com

Also, Dumo Digital is particularly relevant to your use case: it says it specializes in Chicago-area CPG, food & beverage, Shopify Plus, CRO and retention, which is a very good combination for a restaurant turning its brand into a recurring ecommerce business. www.dumodigital.com

What I'd ask them to build

Don't pitch this as simply "a restaurant merch store." Tell them you want:

• Shopify storefront for apparel, packaged food, branded goods, etc.
• Subscriptions with flexible skip/pause/cancel functionality
• Restaurant-specific pickup/local delivery vs. shipped merchandise
• Bundles such as monthly coffee + merch or chef's club
• Gift subscriptions
• Customer accounts and loyalty
• Klaviyo/email/SMS lifecycle marketing
• POS/inventory integration if applicable
• Strong mobile purchasing experience
• Analytics around LTV, subscription retention and repeat purchase, not just ecommerce conversion

For subscriptions specifically, I'd make the agency demonstrate a real subscription flow during the pitch rather than simply saying "we support subscriptions."

If it were my shortlist, I'd interview Praella, 1o8, and Dumo Digital first: Praella for the Shopify build/technical side, 1o8 for food/CPG growth, and Dumo for retention + subscription economics. The fact that they're not all identical is useful—you'll quickly learn whether you need a sophisticated Shopify implementer or more of a DTC growth partner. www.dumodigital.com

If you tell me roughly your restaurant's size, what you're selling/subscribing (e.g. coffee, sauces, wine, merch), and your approximate ecommerce budget, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely fit.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand Shopify and food/CPG retention—not just restaurant websites.

My shortlist

1. Praella — Downtown / LaSalle
   • Probably my first call for your brief.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus specialist with experience around subscriptions, complex ecommerce, personalization and integrations.
   • Better fit if you want a polished consumer brand that could grow beyond merch into packaged products, memberships, etc.

2. 1o8 — Loop
   • Particularly interesting if food & beverage marketing is as important as the build.
   • Their published client work includes food brands such as Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush and Bumble Bee, alongside DTC/ecommerce strategy.
   • I'd consider them if you want the agency to help drive traffic and sales after launch, not just hand over a Shopify site.

3. Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding — Michigan Ave
   • A more brand/creative-led option.
   • They work with Shopify and have experience with multi-location restaurant businesses.
   • Worth considering if your merch shop needs to feel like an extension of the restaurant brand rather than a generic ecommerce storefront.

4. Wuhoo Digital Group — River North
   • Particularly relevant because they explicitly work with restaurant groups and ecommerce, and have restaurant web/branding work.
   • I'd put them on the pitch list if local restaurant-industry familiarity is a priority.

5. BlueBolt Solutions — River North
   • More technically oriented.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus, custom integrations, migrations and ongoing support.
   • Better candidate if your subscription program eventually gets operationally complicated.

One specialist I'd also interview

Dumo Digital is based in the Chicago area and specifically positions itself around Shopify + food/beverage + CPG, with CRO, Shopify Plus, Klaviyo, email/SMS and retention expertise. www.dumodigital.com

That's a particularly good match for your model because subscriptions are a retention problem as much as a website problem.

How I'd choose

For a restaurant selling things like branded apparel, sauces/coffee/packaged food and a monthly subscription, I'd rank the capabilities:

Food/CPG experience → Shopify subscription experience → Klaviyo/CRM → merchandising/CRO → restaurant brand sensibility.

I wouldn't hire a conventional restaurant web agency just because they've built beautiful restaurant sites. Your ecommerce operation has very different requirements: recurring billing, churn/recharge flows, fulfillment, inventory, shipping, bundles, customer retention and post-purchase marketing.

For your particular brief, I'd start with Praella, Dumo Digital and 1o8, then use Brand Vision or Wuhoo as the more restaurant/brand-oriented comparison.

If you tell me your restaurant concept, approximate monthly online revenue (or launch budget), and what you're subscribing customers to, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare likely project cost, strengths, subscription stack, and relevant case studies.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant moving into merch + recurring subscriptions on Shopify, I’d narrow the field considerably rather than hiring a generic web-design shop.

My shortlist

1. Praella — best overall fit
   • Downtown at 203 N LaSalle.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus specialist with experience in subscriptions, custom commerce, integrations and complex ecommerce.
   • This is the one I’d interview first if you expect the shop to become a meaningful revenue channel rather than just a branded merch page. www.conspireagency.com

2. 1o8 — strongest food/CPG marketing fit
   • Downtown at 231 S LaSalle.
   • Particularly interesting for a restaurant because food & beverage is one of its stated specialties, alongside Shopify, DTC growth, paid media and content. Its Klaviyo directory profile specifically identifies it as a Chicago CPG agency specializing in food/beverage. connect.klaviyo.com
   • I'd favor them if customer acquisition, email/SMS and turning restaurant customers into ecommerce subscribers are as important as the build itself.

3. BlueBolt Solutions — technical/Shopify Plus option
   • 415 N LaSalle.
   • Shopify Plus-focused, with custom builds, migrations, integrations and ongoing support. Better candidate if you have complicated POS, inventory, fulfillment or other systems to connect.

4. Brand Vision Marketing — brand-first option
   • 30 N Michigan Ave.
   • More attractive if the project is as much about restaurant brand extension and merch design as ecommerce engineering. They work with Shopify and have experience with multi-location restaurant businesses.

One I'd look at outside downtown

Ethercycle is worth an interview despite being outside the Loop. It's unusually Shopify-centric rather than a general marketing agency, with Shopify development, migrations, app work and ongoing optimization.

For your particular model

I'd make the agency demonstrate these five things in the pitch, rather than just showing pretty restaurant websites:

• Subscriptions: recurring product shipments, skips, pauses, cancellations and failed-payment recovery.
• Restaurant → ecommerce crossover: turning your existing diners into merch/subscription customers without making the ecommerce experience feel like a separate brand.
• Merchandising: limited drops, bundles, gift cards, apparel and seasonal products.
• Retention: Klaviyo/email/SMS flows around subscription renewal, replenishment, abandoned cart and restaurant events.
• Operations: inventory shared with your restaurant/POS or fulfillment operation where appropriate, plus shipping rules for food versus non-food merchandise.

My first three calls would be Praella, 1o8 and BlueBolt. Praella for the commerce architecture, 1o8 for food/CPG growth, and BlueBolt for a more technical Shopify Plus build.

If by “downtown” you specifically mean Loop/River North/West Loop, rather than anywhere in Chicagoland, I can also narrow this to 5 agencies with actual restaurant/food case studies and compare likely project cost, Shopify expertise, subscription experience and creative strength.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling branded merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand both Shopify mechanics and food/CPG retention—not just restaurant websites.

My shortlist

1. Praella — best overall downtown fit
   • 203 N LaSalle St, Loop
   • Shopify Platinum Partner with a strong Shopify Plus/ecommerce practice.
   • Particularly interesting for you because its capabilities include subscriptions, integrations, CRO and custom ecommerce development. Shopify’s directory lists it as a Chicago-based Platinum Partner. www.shopify.com
   • Best if: you want a polished merch/subscription operation that can eventually become a serious DTC revenue channel.

2. 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing expertise
   • 231 S LaSalle St, Loop
   • This is the most directly food-and-beverage-oriented option I found. Klaviyo lists 1o8 as a Chicago CPG agency specializing in Food/Beverage, Shopify/Shopify Plus and DTC. Its client/category experience includes brands such as Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush and Bumble Bee. connect.klaviyo.com
   • Best if: the subscription business—email/SMS, repeat orders, retention, customer LTV—is as important as the storefront.

3. 1DIGITAL AGENCY — good downtown full-service alternative
   • 205 N Michigan Ave, Loop
   • Ecommerce-focused, with Shopify/Shopify Plus migrations, integrations, SEO, PPC and ongoing growth services.
   • Best if: you want one agency handling the store plus acquisition/SEO rather than a pure Shopify build.

4. BlueBolt Solutions — strong technical option
   • 415 N LaSalle Dr
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus-focused, with custom builds, migrations, integrations and ongoing support.
   • Best if: you've got complicated POS, inventory, fulfillment, customer-data or other restaurant-system integrations.

One non-downtown agency I'd also interview

Dumo Digital is actually unusually relevant to your use case: it's Chicago-area and specifically works with CPG, food & beverage and consumer brands, with Shopify Plus, CRO, Klaviyo, subscriptions/retention-oriented work and analytics. www.dumodigital.com

How I'd choose for a restaurant

I'd put Praella vs. 1o8 at the top of the RFP.

Your requirements should explicitly include:

• Shopify storefront for merch
• subscription billing + recurring fulfillment
• bundles/merchandising
• restaurant-brand storytelling without making the store feel like a generic CPG site
• Klaviyo/email/SMS lifecycle
• customer accounts and subscription management
• POS/inventory integration if your restaurants share inventory
• gift cards and promo codes
• shipping rules for food vs. non-food merchandise, if applicable
• analytics around repeat purchase, subscription retention and LTV, not just ecommerce conversion

One caveat: I wouldn't choose an agency solely because it says "food & beverage." Restaurant ecommerce is different from packaged-food ecommerce—your agency needs to understand that the brand already has a physical hospitality business and the Shopify store is an extension of it.

If you tell me roughly what you're selling (apparel, sauces, coffee, memberships, etc.), your expected monthly online revenue, and whether you're already on Shopify, I can narrow this to the 3 agencies I'd actually invite to pitch and compare their relevant case studies, Shopify credentials and likely project fit.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d shortlist agencies based less on generic restaurant web design and more on Shopify + food/CPG + subscriptions + retention.

My shortlist

1. Praella — best overall for a sophisticated build
   • Downtown office at 203 N LaSalle.
   • Shopify Platinum Partner with deep experience in UX, custom development, integrations and conversion optimization. www.shopify.com
   • Particularly interesting if you expect subscriptions, loyalty, multiple revenue streams, or eventual Shopify Plus.
   • My pick if you want a premium, scalable ecommerce operation.

2. 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing fit
   • Downtown at 231 S LaSalle.
   • Specifically positions itself around CPG and food/beverage, with ecommerce/Shopify, retail, paid media, content and creative under one roof. www.1o8.agency
   • Strong choice if you need the agency to help sell the merch/subscription business, not merely build the site.

3. Uncap — best for complex commerce
   • Chicago-based Shopify/Shopify Plus agency with strong development and systems-integration capabilities.
   • Better suited if you're connecting ecommerce to POS, inventory, fulfillment, wholesale, etc.
   • I'd interview them if the restaurant operation is already substantial.

4. BlueBolt Solutions — technical Shopify option
   • River North/LaSalle area.
   • Shopify Plus partner focused on custom builds, migrations, integrations and ongoing support.
   • Worth considering if your subscription model has unusual technical requirements.

5. SITE IT NOW — more generalist/local
   • West Loop, 1016 W Jackson.
   • Offers Shopify, ecommerce, custom development and marketing.
   • I'd put them below the first four for a subscription-heavy food ecommerce project.

One non-downtown agency I'd seriously consider

Ethercycle in the Chicago area is worth interviewing even though it's not downtown. It's unusually Shopify-focused and has experience with independent brands, migrations, custom themes and ongoing ecommerce optimization.

Also, Netalico has particularly relevant food/beverage Shopify experience: its published work specifically discusses subscriptions, bundling, shelf life and temperature-sensitive shipping. netalico.com

For your particular project

I'd make the RFP very explicit about:

• Shopify + subscription architecture — recurring products, skip/pause, gifting, failed-payment recovery
• Restaurant-to-ecommerce integration — POS/customer data where useful
• Merchandising — apparel, branded goods, gift bundles
• Food shipping if you're selling packaged food
• Klaviyo/email/SMS for subscription retention
• Loyalty/VIP membership
• Pickup vs. shipping if that's part of the model
• Analytics measuring LTV, subscription churn, repeat purchase and AOV, not just website conversion

If I were choosing three discovery calls: Praella, 1o8, and Uncap. Praella for the ecommerce build, 1o8 for food/CPG growth, and Uncap for technical/operational complexity.

Praella
1o8
Uncap

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand both Shopify implementation and food/CPG retention, rather than a generic restaurant web-design shop.

My shortlist

1. Praella — best overall fit
   • Downtown office at 203 N LaSalle.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus specialist with experience in subscriptions, integrations, CRO and custom apps. Shopify lists it as a Platinum Partner. www.shopify.com
   • I'd put them first if you expect the shop to become a meaningful revenue channel rather than just a merch page.
   • Praella

2. 1o8 — strongest food/CPG marketing angle
   • Downtown on LaSalle.
   • Particularly interesting because its client work includes food & beverage/CPG brands such as Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush and Bumble Bee, alongside DTC/ecommerce strategy.
   • Better choice if you want the agency involved in acquisition, content, paid media and ecommerce growth, not merely building Shopify.
   • 1o8

3. 1DIGITAL AGENCY | eCommerce Agency — good technical/growth option
   • Loop location at 205 N Michigan.
   • More ecommerce-specialist than restaurant-specialist, with Shopify/Shopify Plus migrations, integrations, SEO/PPC and ongoing growth work.
   • Worth including if you anticipate connecting subscriptions, loyalty, email/SMS, POS or other systems.

4. Wuhoo Digital Group — most restaurant-oriented local option
   • River North.
   • Specifically works with restaurant groups and ecommerce/retail, and has restaurant website experience including reservations, menus and photography.
   • I'd consider them if the Shopify store needs to sit within a broader restaurant digital presence.

5. Design In Chicago — design/brand-heavy alternative
   • West Loop.
   • Does Shopify alongside branding, photography/video, web design and marketing.
   • Attractive if the goal is a beautiful lifestyle/merch brand as much as ecommerce functionality.

One non-downtown agency I'd also interview

Dumo Digital is based in the Chicago area and is unusually aligned with your use case: it explicitly focuses on food & beverage/CPG, Shopify Plus, CRO, Klaviyo and retention. That combination is particularly relevant to subscriptions. www.shopify.comwww.dumodigital.com

What I'd ask them to build

For a restaurant, I wouldn't brief this as simply "a Shopify merch store." I'd ask for:

• Merch: apparel, hats, glassware, sauces/packaged products, gift cards
• Subscriptions: recurring product or membership/subscription tiers
• Restaurant-to-ecommerce cross-sell: receipts, QR codes, loyalty, email capture
• Klaviyo: post-purchase, replenishment, win-back and VIP flows
• Shopify POS integration if you sell merchandise in the restaurant
• Bundles/gifting for holidays and special events
• Analytics separating restaurant customers → ecommerce customers → subscribers
• A design system that feels like the restaurant brand rather than a generic Shopify template

If it were my RFP, I'd send it first to Praella, 1o8, and Dumo Digital. They represent three useful angles: sophisticated Shopify engineering, food/CPG growth, and retention/subscription expertise.

If you tell me your restaurant concept, approximate annual revenue, number of locations, and what you want to sell/subscribe to, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare likely budget, capabilities, and fit.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions through Shopify, I’d shortlist these agencies rather than general-purpose web shops.

My top 3

1. Praella — best overall fit
   • Downtown: 203 N LaSalle St.
   • Shopify Plus-focused, with a Chicago headquarters.
   • Particularly compelling for you because they explicitly support subscriptions, Shopify Plus, POS, and retention infrastructure, and they partner with Recharge for recurring commerce. praella.com
   • Their portfolio includes food/beverage + subscription businesses, including Monogram Coffee, PlateCrate and Oma's Pride. praella.com
   • They also have a substantial subscription implementation track record—e.g. building custom subscription management around Shopify Plus + Recharge. praella.com

I'd call them first if you're envisioning something more sophisticated than "restaurant merch store"—e.g. branded products + coffee/food club + recurring deliveries + loyalty + customer accounts.

Praella

2. 1o8 — best if food/CPG marketing is a big part of the brief
   • Downtown: 231 S LaSalle St.
   • Their own positioning is heavily CPG/DTC, with particular specialization in Food/Beverage and Shopify. connect.klaviyo.com
   • This could be especially useful if you want the agency to handle not just the build but email/SMS, paid acquisition, content and ongoing ecommerce growth.

I'd favor them if your restaurant has ambitions to become a consumer packaged-goods brand—say sauces, coffee, frozen products, pantry items, etc.—rather than simply selling T-shirts.

1o8

3. Netalico — strong technical/food-commerce alternative
   • Their Chicago Shopify practice specifically calls out food & beverage and Shopify/Shopify Plus. netalico.com
   • More importantly for your idea, they explicitly discuss subscriptions, bundling and merchandising for food/beverage brands and implementing subscription-management tools such as Recharge. netalico.com
   • I'd put them on the RFP if you expect operational complexity around inventory, fulfillment, bundles or recurring shipments.

Netalico

How I'd choose

One important distinction: restaurant ecommerce is different from restaurant websites. You don't primarily need someone good at menus/reservations—you need someone who understands DTC food economics, recurring billing, fulfillment, inventory, bundles, retention and Shopify.

For your particular brief, I'd ask each agency to propose a stack around Shopify + Recharge + Klaviyo, while figuring out whether you actually need Shopify Plus. Praella, in particular, has direct experience across that ecosystem. praella.com

If you tell me roughly what you're selling (T-shirts, sauces, coffee, meal kits, memberships, etc.), expected monthly online revenue, and whether subscriptions are physical deliveries or a restaurant membership, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and give you a realistic Chicago budget/timeline for the build.

For a Chicago restaurant selling merch + subscriptions (coffee clubs, sauces, meal kits, memberships, gift boxes, etc.), I’d prioritize agencies that understand DTC food/CPG, not just restaurants or generic Shopify builds. The key capabilities to screen for are:

• Shopify + Shopify Plus experience
• subscription platforms (Recharge, Skio, Stay AI, etc.)
• food shipping/fulfillment realities (bundles, perishables, inventory)
• email/SMS retention (Klaviyo)
• merchandising and brand storytelling
• POS/loyalty integrations if you have a physical restaurant

A shortlist to consider:

Downtown / Chicago-based agencies

Praella
Good fit if you want a polished Shopify Plus build with subscriptions, custom functionality, and integrations. They position themselves around complex ecommerce builds and Shopify Plus work. www.1o8.agency
Best for: a restaurant brand becoming a serious consumer brand (national shipping, subscriptions, multiple revenue streams).

1o8
A strong food/CPG-oriented option. Their work spans food and beverage brands, ecommerce, retail strategy, creative, and performance marketing. www.1o8.agency
Best for: restaurants that need the Shopify store plus brand growth, content, paid media, and retail expansion.

CQL
More enterprise-leaning, with long ecommerce experience and Shopify partnership credentials. www.shopify.com
Best for: established restaurant groups with bigger operational requirements.

Americaneagle.com, Inc.
A larger digital commerce partner capable of complex ecommerce ecosystems.
Best for: multi-location groups, integrations, and larger budgets.

Food/CPG Shopify specialists (Chicago area)

Dumo Digital
Focused on CPG, food/beverage, Shopify CRO, retention, and lifecycle marketing. www.dumodigital.com
Best for: turning restaurant fans into repeat subscription customers.

The Chicago Web Co.
Shopify-focused Chicago partner with food/drink experience and examples involving merch and subscription-style ecommerce needs. www.shopify.com
Best for: a boutique engagement where brand feel matters.

More technical Shopify operators

Uncap
Strong Shopify engineering and systems background, especially if you have complicated operations. www.uncap.com
Best for: restaurant groups with wholesale, inventory, ERP, or operational complexity.

For a typical Chicago restaurant launching merch + a subscription program, I’d probably start conversations with:

1. Dumo Digital — if retention/subscriptions are the main growth engine
2. Praella — if you want a premium Shopify Plus build
3. 1o8 — if you need food-brand storytelling + marketing horsepower
4. The Chicago Web Co. — if you want a smaller Shopify-focused partner

When interviewing them, ask:

• “Show me a food/beverage subscription store you built.”
• “How would you structure a monthly club vs one-time merch purchases?”
• “Which subscription app would you recommend and why?”
• “How would you connect Shopify to our restaurant POS/loyalty system?”
• “Who owns the creative direction, photography, and merchandising strategy?”

For a restaurant brand, the ecommerce store is usually less about the cart and more about converting local fans into a recurring national customer base.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling branded merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand Shopify, food/beverage DTC, subscriptions, retention, and the operational side of a restaurant brand—not just agencies that build pretty restaurant websites.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Praella — best overall fit
   • Downtown at 203 N LaSalle.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus specialist.
   • Particularly interesting for you because its positioning includes subscriptions, custom payments, personalization and complex ecommerce.
   • I’d put them first if you expect the shop to become a serious revenue channel rather than just a merch add-on.

2. 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing fit
   • Downtown at 231 S LaSalle.
   • Their specialization is unusually relevant: food & beverage, CPG, DTC, Shopify and Klaviyo. Their Klaviyo profile specifically identifies food/beverage as a core vertical. connect.klaviyo.com
   • Strong candidate if the bigger question is “How do we turn our restaurant audience into recurring ecommerce customers?” rather than simply building the storefront.

3. 1DIGITAL AGENCY — good full-service Loop option
   • 205 N Michigan Ave.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus plus integrations, migration, SEO, paid acquisition and ecommerce development.
   • More general ecommerce than restaurant-specific, so I'd interview them alongside a food-specialist agency rather than choosing them automatically.

4. BlueBolt Solutions — technical/Shopify Plus option
   • 415 N LaSalle.
   • Better fit if you anticipate complicated integrations, custom functionality or eventually scaling beyond a straightforward merch store.

5. Uncap — strong ecommerce engineering, but less restaurant-specific
   • Chicago-based Shopify/Shopify Plus agency with a heavy emphasis on ecommerce systems and integrations.
   • I'd consider them if your restaurant has complicated inventory, POS, fulfillment or other back-office requirements.

One non-downtown agency I'd also interview

Dumo Digital is worth making an exception for. They're Chicago-area rather than downtown, but their specialty is food & beverage/CPG + Shopify CRO + retention, with Shopify Plus and Klaviyo expertise. www.dumodigital.com

Also worth knowing: Netalico explicitly highlights food & beverage alongside Shopify/Shopify Plus and has Chicago operations; its portfolio includes food/beverage Shopify work. netalico.com

What I'd ask each agency

Don't just ask, “Can you build Shopify?” Ask:

• Show me a food/restaurant brand where you built ecommerce.
• Show me a subscription implementation and explain which subscription platform you used and why.
• How would you connect Shopify + restaurant POS + inventory + fulfillment?
• How would you handle limited-run merch, drops and restaurant-specific products?
• What would you use for email/SMS, loyalty and subscription retention?
• Can customers buy merch without being restaurant customers, while still making the restaurant brand central?
• Who owns the Shopify theme/code after launch?
• What would you recommend for Shopify vs. Shopify Plus at our current scale?

For your particular model, I'd probably interview Praella, 1o8 and Dumo Digital first. The interesting distinction is that Praella looks strongest for the actual Shopify/subscription build, while 1o8/Dumo look particularly strong on the food/CPG → DTC → retention side. That's a better three-way comparison than getting three generic Chicago web agencies to pitch you.

If you tell me roughly restaurant size/revenue, what you're selling (shirts, sauces, coffee, etc.), subscription concept, and whether you already use Toast/other POS, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and tell you what I'd expect each to charge.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant selling branded merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand both hospitality/food commerce and Shopify—not just generic restaurant websites.

My shortlist

1. Praella — best overall for a sophisticated Shopify build
   • Downtown office at 203 N LaSalle.
   • Shopify Plus Platinum Partner with strengths in UX, custom development, integrations, CRO and automation. www.shopify.com
   • Particularly attractive if you expect subscriptions, loyalty, multiple locations, or integrations with your restaurant tech stack.
   • My pick if you want a serious long-term ecommerce platform.

2. 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing fit
   • Downtown at 231 S LaSalle.
   • Specifically focuses on food & beverage/CPG, DTC growth, Shopify and Shopify Plus; its Klaviyo profile identifies food/beverage as a specialty. connect.klaviyo.com
   • Better choice if the agency needs to help you sell and retain customers, not merely build the storefront.

3. Forge Digital Marketing — worth considering for retention
   • More boutique and growth-oriented.
   • Shopify work plus email/SMS and retention makes it interesting for a subscription-heavy business.
   • I'd ask specifically for restaurant/food subscription examples before hiring.

4. The Chicago Web Co. — strongest small/midsize local option
   • Shopify's partner directory lists it as a Chicago service partner with Food & Drink industry experience and 12+ years of Shopify expertise. www.shopify.com
   • Could make sense if your project is relatively straightforward and you want a more hands-on local shop.

One non-downtown agency I'd put on the call list

Dumo Digital is based in the Chicago area rather than downtown, but its positioning is unusually relevant: it specializes in CPG, food & beverage and consumer brands, with Shopify Plus, CRO, Klaviyo retention and subscription-oriented DTC systems. www.dumodigital.com

What I'd ask them to build

For a restaurant merch/subscription business, don't brief this as simply “a Shopify website.” I'd ask for:

• Merch storefront + restaurant-brand storytelling
• Subscription architecture — recurring product, skip/pause, cadence changes, failed-payment recovery
• Bundles/merchandising — e.g. monthly club + limited drops
• Gift subscriptions
• Customer accounts and loyalty
• Klaviyo email/SMS lifecycle
• Shopify POS integration if you sell merch in the restaurant
• Inventory synchronization between restaurant locations and ecommerce
• Gift cards
• Analytics/LTV reporting
• A launch plan that includes retention and subscription acquisition, not just web design

One especially interesting benchmark is Shrimpton Agency: its hospitality-commerce practice explicitly works with restaurants and bars and lists branded merchandise, subscription boxes, gift cards, loyalty, POS integrations and Shopify Plus. It's not Chicago-based, but it's a very good example of the specialization I'd look for in an agency. www.shrimpton.agency

If it were my shortlist, I'd interview Praella, 1o8 and Dumo Digital first. Praella for technical sophistication, 1o8 for food/CPG growth expertise, and Dumo for the combination of Shopify + subscriptions + retention.

If you tell me roughly your restaurant size/revenue, number of locations, what you're selling in the subscription, and your budget ($15k / $30k / $75k+ build), I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and tell you what I'd expect each to charge.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merch + recurring subscriptions, I’d narrow the field considerably rather than hiring a generic web agency.

My downtown shortlist

1. Praella - eCommerce Agency — 203 N LaSalle St
   • Best overall for a serious Shopify build.
   • Shopify Plus specialist and Platinum Partner, with experience in subscriptions, integrations, CRO and custom apps. www.shopify.com
   • Particularly attractive if you expect the shop to become a meaningful revenue channel rather than just an online merch store.
   • Watch-out: likely more agency/enterprise-oriented than you need if you're starting with a relatively small catalog.

2. 1o8 — 231 S LaSalle St
   • Best food/CPG marketing fit.
   • Their Chicago team specifically works with food & beverage brands including Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush, Happy Moose Juice and Bumble Bee, and supports Shopify/Shopify Plus plus retention marketing. connect.klaviyo.com
   • I'd consider them especially if you need Shopify + subscriptions + email/SMS + customer acquisition, rather than simply development.

3. BlueBolt Solutions — 415 N LaSalle Dr
   • Best technical option downtown.
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus certified, with custom builds, migrations, integrations and ongoing support.
   • Better candidate if your restaurant has complicated POS, inventory, fulfillment or other systems that Shopify needs to talk to.

4. 1DIGITAL AGENCY — 205 N Michigan Ave
   • Good all-around ecommerce option.
   • Handles Shopify/Shopify Plus builds and migrations plus ERP/CRM/3PL, loyalty and email integrations.
   • Less specifically food-focused than 1o8, but potentially useful if the operation has substantial ecommerce infrastructure.

One non-downtown agency I'd absolutely put in the mix

The Chicago Web Co. is worth interviewing even though I wouldn't call it a downtown agency. Shopify's partner directory lists it as a Chicago partner with 12+ years of Shopify experience and specifically includes food & drink among its industries. More importantly, its portfolio includes Stan's Donuts, where it built Shopify flows for coffee, merchandise and ordering, and it has demonstrated subscription/bundle work as well. www.shopify.com

For your particular use case, that's unusually relevant: restaurant brand → Shopify → merch → recurring products → local/brand experience.

How I'd rank them for you

I'd actually interview Praella, 1o8, and Chicago Web Co. first.

For a restaurant, I'd also make the agencies demonstrate how they'd handle one-time merch + subscription products in the same cart/customer account, subscription skips/pauses, pickup vs. shipping, restaurant POS integration, limited drops, gift subscriptions, and post-purchase email/SMS. Those details will separate a genuinely good restaurant ecommerce partner from someone who simply knows how to customize a Shopify theme.

If you tell me roughly your restaurant concept, current POS (Toast/Clover/Square/etc.), what you'd sell, and approximate budget, I can narrow this to 2–3 agencies and tell you exactly what I'd ask each one in the pitch.

Yes. For a Chicago restaurant brand selling merchandise + recurring subscriptions, I’d prioritize agencies that understand both Shopify and food/CPG retention—not just agencies that build pretty restaurant websites.

My shortlist

1. Praella — best downtown Shopify-first option
   • Downtown at 203 N LaSalle St
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus specialist with experience in complex commerce, including subscriptions and integrations.
   • Strong candidate if you want a polished branded store that can grow beyond merch into a serious DTC channel.
   • Best fit: restaurant group with ambitions for a substantial ecommerce business.

2. 1o8 — best food/CPG marketing fit
   • Downtown at 231 S LaSalle St
   • Particularly interesting because food & beverage is a stated specialty; its client work includes Del Monte, Tofurky, Mush, Bumble Bee and other food brands. It also works with Shopify and DTC ecommerce. connect.klaviyo.com
   • Best fit: you need the agency to help sell the subscriptions, not merely build the storefront.

3. 1DIGITAL AGENCY — good full-service ecommerce alternative
   • Downtown at 205 N Michigan Ave
   • Shopify/Shopify Plus plus migrations, integrations, SEO/PPC and ecommerce growth.
   • Best fit: you want one vendor covering build + acquisition + ongoing ecommerce.

4. Americaneagle.com, Inc. — enterprise option
   • Downtown at 200 W Jackson Blvd
   • Much larger/enterprise-oriented, with experience handling complicated ecommerce requirements.
   • Best fit: multiple restaurant locations, complicated POS/CRM/ERP requirements, or a much larger commerce operation.

5. 10com Web Development — more generalist
   • Downtown at 205 N Michigan Ave
   • Shopify is among its ecommerce platforms, but its positioning is broader than the specialists above.
   • Best fit: relatively straightforward merch store where you don't need sophisticated subscription/retention strategy.

One non-downtown firm I'd seriously consider

Dumo Digital is based in the Chicago area and is unusually aligned with what you're describing: Shopify Plus, food & beverage/CPG, CRO, Klaviyo, lifecycle email/SMS and retention. That's a particularly useful combination for a restaurant subscription business. www.dumodigital.com

Also worth a look is The Chicago Web Co.; Shopify's own partner directory lists it as a Chicago partner and explicitly lists Food and drink among its industries. www.shopify.com

What I'd ask each agency

Don't just ask, "Can you build us a Shopify site?" Give them this brief:

Restaurant brand → Shopify → branded merchandise + recurring subscription product → integrate POS/customer data → email/SMS retention → gift subscriptions → local pickup/shipping options.

The important questions are:

• Which restaurant/food brands have you actually put on Shopify?
• Can you show me subscription businesses, not just ecommerce sites?
• Would you use Shopify Subscriptions, Recharge, or another architecture, and why?
• How would you handle gift subscriptions, skips, pauses and cancellations?
• Can you integrate our existing POS/customer database?
• Who owns the Shopify theme/code after launch?
• What will you handle after launch—CRO, email/SMS, merchandising and subscription retention, or just development?

For your particular use case, I'd start with Praella, 1o8 and Dumo Digital. Praella looks strongest for the Shopify build itself; 1o8 has the most directly relevant food/CPG marketing pedigree; Dumo is compelling if subscriptions and retention are central to the business.

If you tell me roughly where downtown you are (Loop, River North, West Loop, etc.) and your expected ecommerce revenue/launch budget, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely fit.