Benny Siddu

Owner, Benny's Chop House

The owner and namesake of Benny’s Chop House, Benny Siddu, is no stranger to hospitality. Food and goodwill is a passion and a way of life for Benny. After 35 years of dedication, hard work, and the act of truly being hospitable, Benny has emerged as one of the most respected, well known restaurant owners in Chicago.

Barely a teenager, in a small town in Sardinia, Benny began his career in hospitality at a bed and breakfast owned by his Aunt and Uncle. At 15 years old, he moved to mainland Italy and began working at a hotel. It was during this time that Benny learned the value of hard work. After several years of work in England, a pinnacle of high service standards, Benny moved to service by sea. For almost a decade, he lived and worked on cruise ships, and Benny developed into a very seasoned Restaurant Manager.

Benny settled in Chicago in 1984 - a very exciting time as the Midwest had just begun to embrace the culinary arts. For over a decade, Benny managed a successful French restaurant and several prosperous steak houses. In 1997, Benny opened his own ‘Volare Ristorante’ (meaning ‘to fly’ in Italian) – and it literally soared as Volare has been one of the best restaurants in Chicago ever since the doors opened. In 2008, once confident that Volare was the ideal dining experience that Benny envisioned for his guests, he opened ‘Volare Ristorante’ in Oakbrook Terrace.

Benny is thrilled about his most recent endeavor, Benny’s Chop House, and he is confident that his guests are enjoying the level of hospitality that they’ve come to expect from him. Benny’s mission to be “not just another steakhouse” is distinctly Chicago and distinctly Benny Siddu.