By Patricia Griffin Mangan
Special to Inside
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it the Spiderman of Chicago? Some people have asked themselves how 54-year-old Fritz Konstanelos went from a kid from Bridgeport to Fritz of the Ritz.
Just as Ron Popeil got his start by working the old Maxwell Street, Fritz began selling socks on W. Madison St. before he was l2 years old. He became a North Side hustler at age l2 and a high roller a decade later. This entrepreneur quit Senn High School after two years, got married at l7 and had long been a breadwinner.
This street-smart guy, sometimes called Fritzy, is all over the place and riding high these days—just like Spiderman. As a hyperactive kid, Fritz got easily bored. To his credit, he had the looks, personality, drive, and intuition to "invent himself." He flies through the sky with the greatest of ease—the only thing is, he forgot his trapeze.
For 2l years, Fritz has held the position of vice president on premise accounts for Chicago Beverage Systems by proving to others that sociability and fast moving can reap success. His unique sales position has earned him the respect of Jim Doney, president of Chicago Beverage, and of Christopher Reyes, CEO of Reyes Holdings to which Chicago Beverage is a subsidiary. This company is also the largest wholesale distributor of Miller Brewing in Chicago and has the exclusive rights to Guinness, Heineken, Amstel Light, Corona, Harp and Bass beers.
Though a beer sales executive, Fritz drinks Absolut vodka. What is absolute about Fritzy is that he has high energy and is never afraid to make a presentation. He knows what goes on in the Windy City and the right person to approach.
The Spiderman character says, "I love what I do and I work 365 days a year." The smooth operator looks Italian but is of Greek heritage. He did some hustling as a kid in Greektown but is known in every corner of the city and suburbs. Most people do not even know that his birth name is John or his last name. And, no one really cares! Fritz is Fritz who has a ball with life!
Ontario and Rush streets became his beat long ago when he began parking cars years before his eligibility to obtain a driver's license. He got hired by the Singapore to park cars and soon rose to owning his own concessions and having kids work for him. He relied on himself to make a buck and never believed "the buck stops here."
As a teen, he would park cars for celebrities—who would ask for him and consult with him as to where to spend time. Mickey Mantle and Fritz became friends. After a while, parking cars got boring so he moved up to the nightclub circuit. Tommy O'Leary hired him as a bartender long before he was of legal age. O'Leary taught him the bar business and noted how fast he worked. O'Leary was the owner of the original Key Club. By l97l, Fritz was earning $l00 a day at O'Leary's and still kept his parking concessions. He became a manager with no training.
The high flying kid got lucky when he met Charlie Finley, owner of the Oakland A's Baseball Team, and soon was working all of Finley's parties. He was personable and seemed older than he was because he matured at a young age. Jimmy Piersal provided Fritz with 40 or 50 tickets to Cincinnati for the l972 World Series. Here again, the street-smart kid decided to sell the tickets and watch the games in the hotel lobby.
By age 22, Fritz was earning $400 a day but collapsed with a bleeding ulcer and became hospitalized. The fast pace seemed to have caught up with him but he bounced back eventually. People missed the guy and even Ed Hanley, President of the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Union, inquired about him. "Ed helped me out a lot," said Fritz. Hanley hired him at an annual salary of $45,000 as a "union organizer."
Hanley sent Fritz to Atlanta and then to New Orleans to open the Superdome as a concessionaire. By selling hot dogs, he became acquainted with the employees and signed them up to join the union. He worked diligently but it was not known that he actually worked for the union.
The risk taking Fritz made some enemies as would be expected, and eventually he had to "get out of town" when someone shot a hole in his car radiator. The Spiderman literally flew back to Chicago without taking his personal belongings.
Though a relentless workaholic, Fritz found time to divorce, date, gamble and make some mistakes. Quick to fall in love, he was engaged eight times. He dated Miss California and a Playmate of the Year whom he even escorted to a dinner party of Cardinal Bernardin. Fritz did fundraising for Catholic Charities and the Chicago Police and Fire Departments, and attended many lavish dinner parties over the years.
It is difficult to believe that this aggressive and street-smart person had time for a family but he made time for his son, Johnny, and his daughter, Christina. Eventually, he was granted full time custody of his children and they all lived with Fritz's mother on the Northwest Side of Chicago. He now enjoys his 2-year old granddaughter, Nicole, and 4-month-old granddaughter, Julia. "They are the light of my life," said Fritz who tends to be a doting grandparent.
Somehow, even with a hectic schedule, Fritz got into radio with WSCR, the Score (670 AM). His long time buddy from Senn High School, Mike North, wanted to improve the show and put Fritz on the air to educate the public on restaurants, hotels and bars in Chicago. The segment, titled "Fritzy's Night On The Town," is no longer on the air but Fritz plans a different radio role come January. Fritz does have the gift of gab and is an expert in the entertainment world.
Though it would be a treat for the average guy to attend but one Super Bowl, Fritz has enjoyed many Super Bowls and has entertained clients at many big events. He has a skybox at Wrigley Field (Box 40) and says, "I love football, baseball and basketball." Travel is also in his schedule, so he spends some winter time in Hollywood, FL, and has been to Europe several times.
As a bar owner himself, owning two bars on Chicago's North Side, Fritz made many contacts. Owning and managing Pelican Liquors on Clark and Pratt streets, as well as Fritzy's on Touhy and Western avenues, gave him vast experience in the liquor business. "You've got to be a night owl," said Fritz. "Sometimes I am going non-stop from 3 in the afternoon until the early morning hours."
Not surprisingly, Fritz got invited to a birthday party for Hillary Clinton on Oct. 27, l997. It was held at the Cultural Center. He has drank or dined with Mike Ditka, Pete Rose, Frank Sinatra, Don Rickles, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Mohammad Ali and other celebrities.
At one of Chicago's Winning Streak Championship Bulls' games, Fritz was on the floor, very busy, when he was approached by a man who said Madonna wanted to meet him and asked if he would join her. He did and his son saw him on television with Madonna.
The Spiderman of Chicago is not slowing down all that much these days. He has the stability of residing in the Budlong Woods neighborhood of Chicago—but still manages to be "the man about town." |
