Chicago’s Jays Potato Chips Are No More
Published December 9th, 2007 in GeneralWhen I was young, my family unwisely moved from the Chicago suburbs to central California. Amongst the many adjustments we had to make was a loss of four food staples not available on the West Coast; Marshmallow Fluff, Coco Wheats, Cock Robin Ice Cream and Jays Potato Chips.
Fluff actually comes out of Massachusetts while Coco Wheats is produced in Indiana. They are still readily available (but still only online in California). But the true Chicago brands have now been eliminated. The last Cock Robin diner closed last year, and Thursday was the last day for Chicago’s Jays Potato Chip factory.
The closure was part of a bankruptcy buyout and theoretically the brand name is supposed to live on under the ownership of Snyder’s of Hanover. But the online availability of Jays Chips has suddenly dried up, their own site’s purchase links have all been unplugged while another distributer reports the brands as “discontinued.” The last bags of Jays I can find are at Amazon’s Grocery Store,
It’s depressing, as the simple round logo of Jays will forever be embedded in my childhood memories. Back in the day, the potato chips were packaged in boxes, like oversized cereal packages. I could find the snack aisle at the Jewel Market simply by looking for the stacks of jumbo white boxes. One could always find a supply at my Grandma and Great Aunt Helen’s house. When Aunt Helen was my daily babysitter for a couple of years, she would often enhance my lunch with a few Jays on the side ~ Yum. The brand identification was further enhanced by the neato Jays pencils they occasionally included in the boxes. Also, Jays produced other favored snacks, including shoestring potatoes as well as a delicious caramel corn packaged in a unique plastic-lid container.
A few years back, I special ordered a couple cases of Jays Potato Chips from their website to give to my ex-Chicago family members as Christmas gifts. In consuming them we realized how incredibly greasy and salty they were, a powerful flavor from a tough city (and a perfect companion to Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer). Over the years our taste buds had become accustomed to the bland offerings of Laura Scudders here in California (more suited to wussy wine coolers).
But it seems Jays will drift into history now, another victim to the continued corporatization and homogenisation of American culture. Thanks Jays, for being there for the good times with family and friends! Your unique greasy presence will not be forgotten.
Its funny im eating a bag of Jay’s in Arizona right now!(I think they started some factorys again)
You can still buy Jay’s chips at the Jewel or Dominick’s in the Chicago area (as of July 2008). However, whoever bought them out has changed the oil they use (0% trans fat formula corn oil) and they taste so different (the corn taste is very strong), my husband told me not to buy the plain chips any more. I don’t care for them any more, either. The barbeque flavor is OK, since the spices mask the corn oil taste. But, sadly, the regular and rippled chips are not the same.
Jay’s Potato Chips have not gone anywhere. Snyder’s is working towards improving the things that will make Jay’s a more profitable company. Thus insuring that it stays around. I recently saw a company news letter that offered congadulations to the employees of Jay’s in Chicago regaurding the progress of the afore mentioned improvements. I was recently in several gocery stores in Michigan and saw Jay’s chips and Kruncher’s on the shelf. (Kruncher’s are Kettle and Tortilla chips that are also made by Jay’s.)
I just checked out the Jay’s website and they are stil working on putting up the new one. If you were to call the Jay’s factory they would be able to inform you of a place or a website to buy some from. Until then you can always require any visitors from back east to bring some when visiting you.
Jay’s was aquired by Snyder’s during thier bankruptcy proceedings. That is why it is taking so long for certian things like websites to get completed. After all it has to clear the American Judicial system, and we all know how long that can take.
I bought a large bag and found the flavor to quite good. I only wish I had bought more because they are not sold in the south.
I had not been aware of the JAYS financial problems till today,10/9/08 and am disapointed. Live in Michigan and travel back home to Wisconsin stopping for gas in Illinois and getting some JAYS cheese wheel cracker snacks, 6-8 bags and they are all gone by the time we get back to Michigan. Just now went to JAYS website hoping to order some of this product as we cannot find them in Michigan although we do have their potatoe chips (which are not as good as when we lived in Chicago. Do you have any idea where alse we can find these cheese wheels?