Lucky Duck Street Tacos and More New Fare Available at the Beach This Summer

By David A. F. Sweet The City of Lake Forest tapped The Cotton Duck as its new food partner at Forest Park Beach. Co-founders Cecilia Lanyon and Dominic Zumpano, who are Lake Forest residents and long-time restaurateurs in the city, discussed what they plan to offer this summer.

Why were you interested in running the Forest Park Beach concessions?

I (Cecilia) grew up in Lake Forest, and summertime meant every day at the beach! We are so fortunate to have access to this gorgeous lakefront. We wanted to be a part of this community's summer experience. 

"The food items are intended to be easy to eat at the beach," says Cecilia Lanyon, shown in front of the concessions stand with husband Dominic and daughter Andrea.

What will set your concessions apart from what was previously offered? 

We are offering made-to-order, hand-crafted items that we want to feel both fun and a bit nostalgic. Dominic's food is delicious, but beyond that, he is extremely creative with the production and operation side of the kitchen, the food items are intended to be easy to eat at the beach, easy to share -- and a menu we are able to produce in a reasonable amount of time and in volume. 

How does having a familiarity with the beach help you in knowing what to serve?

Knowing the beach gave us insights on who the customers may be, the size of the orders, variations of each order...we know what/how our guests at Peanut Gallery dine, which was a good foundation to help transition to a beach menu, where we want to offer food that is equally approachable but more fitting for a meal at the beach.

How will technology help you serve customers most efficiently?

Our point-of-sale system helps keep track of inventory, easily manage payments and customer feedback and keep track of ordering times. We also offer online ordering for pick-up, so guests can place orders in anticipation of their visit to the beach at a scheduled time. 

What do you think will be your signature item that beachgoers will want?

Our Lucky Duck Street Tacos! They have always been popular at our restaurant (Lucky Duck), they are the perfect summer food- and easy to share (we have three variations: Szechuan Pork, General Tso's Chicken and Teriyaki Beef).

The BBQ Chicken Flatbread is likely to be popular this summer. Given that swimmers may not have cash readily available, what type of payments will you accept?

We accept all major credit cards and Apple Pay. Any final thoughts?

Dominic and I opened our first restaurant, The Gallery, in Lake Forest 10 years ago. The support and encouragement of this community made this all possible -- we so appreciate the opportunity to serve you all at the beach and look forward to seeing you this summer! To see the full food menu, please click here.