Not quiet, not tucked away and not hiding from the tall talk of a small town, Booby’s Bar and Sandwiches sits stoutly in the middle of Carbondale’s iconic Strip — the same place it’s been since 1972. 

A staple of the city’s inclusive, diverse atmosphere, Booby’s serves more than just sandwiches and cocktails. For many, the bar at 406 S. Illinois Ave. has served as a safe space for members of the LGTBQ community, students at Southern Illinois University, local artists and anyone else willing to brave the disarming smile of Booby’s owner, Abe Traverso. 

Although a few things have changed over the decades — like the addition of an outdoor beer garden and a couple of new menu items — according to those who were there when the Booby’s brand was originally built, that smile, that local comfort and that welcoming environment has always been a part of the Booby’s ambience. 

A chain of inspiration

Bob Feld opened Booby’s in the waning months of 1972 shortly after finishing his degree from Roosevelt University. After being inspired by a sub shop that he briefly worked at near his home on the south side of Chicago, Feld and four of his friends — with the financial backing of his car salesman father —  teamed up to open what was then a Kosher-style deli on Carbondale’s busiest street.

With no competing delis in the surrounding area, Booby’s slowly but surely became a hot commodity for college students seeking fresh, handmade subs on the go. A fairly new concept at the time, having your food prepared in front of you and being out the door in minutes paved the way for Feld to tap into a market that would eventually inspire multinational sandwich chain Jimmy John’s, which now has its own Carbondale location just down the street. 

The similarities between the two menus, said current owner Abe Traverso, made total sense when Jimmy John’s founder Jimmy John Liautaud revealed his inspiration for the chain during a podcast episode with Theo Von in early 2024. 

“Even the names of the sandwiches are similar,” Traverso said. “Not just the style.” 

Those names, like the Jimmy Cubano, the Billy Club and Club Lulu, ring familiar in the ears of those that have ordered a Bruce or Robyn Special from Booby’s — something neither Bruce nor Robyn themselves have ever done. 

Meet Bruce and Robyn

Original members of Feld’s first Booby’s staff, Bruce Levine and Robyn Duenow are the inspiration behind the two flagship sandwiches on the Booby’s menu — despite having never tried them. 

“Neither one of us have eaten our sandwiches,” the two told the Daily Egyptian during an early June visit to Carbondale.

“One day the menu came out, and I was like ‘What? The Robyn Special? I hate pastrami!’” Robyn said. 

“Yeah. I don’t eat ham,” Bruce added. 

Both originally from Chicago’s southside — like Feld — Bruce and Robyn had been friends long before Booby’s came to be. Bruce met Feld first and then introduced him to Robyn, and the three of them would go on to form a core group of friends that would eventually make up the Booby’s staff.

For Robyn, however, her relationship with Feld would transcend that of a friend. 

Robyn and Feld got married in 1974. They had two children, both born at Carbondale Memorial Hospital, and were together until Feld sold Booby’s 10 years later. 

“We were all very close friends,” Bruce said. “Before doing business and working together, we were all having fun and being young. There was an awful lot of freedom living in Carbondale back then — and we took advantage of that.” 

Bruce — now living in Chicago working as a baseball analyst for WSCR-AM and 670thescore.com — reflected fondly on his time as an SIU student and as an integral part of building an establishment that serves as a microcosm for the city’s progressive, punk history. 

“We were here finding our way when the country was starting to find its own way as well,” Bruce said. “In my first quarter here, I was a part of the Kent State riots where thousands of students went on the president’s lawn and got the university shut down. It was a powerful period. If you can imagine, up and down Illinois Avenue, state police with gas masks on were gassing students. It was quite a volatile time.” 

Robyn was an art major while at SIU, and her mark can be seen left on the paint strokes and design choices along the walls of the sandwich shop bar, but it can also be seen in the legacy that remains at Booby’s — one that both she and Bruce helped establish. 

“It was a bastion for students,” Robyn said. “For liberal students that were against the war in Vietnam, or the oligarchy, or fascism.” 

Unbeknownst to Traverso, who became the owner of Booby’s in 2023, he continued to foster and develop a similar space as Feld did all those years ago. 

‘Welcome back Booby’s!’ 

“When they were telling me all the different stuff that Bob would do in order to make sure that his staff and his customers were okay, it sounded very similar to what I do,” Traverso said. “It seemed very serendipitous. Making sure everyone feels supported. That everyone’s good. What do you need? How can I help, ya know?”

Traverso said that he had no idea about the history and the lore that surrounded Booby’s until after he began operating it with his new team. 

“The truth is, I wasn’t going to reopen Booby’s,” Traverso said. “I had a different name planned and everything. It was going to be a similar concept — but not the same.” 

The story goes, as Traverso tells it, that during a bad day at his old job, a friend of his pitched the idea of him buying Booby’s. At the time, the business had been closed for over 10 years, and in the interim, the building had been briefly turned into the Bike Surgeon, a bike repair shop.  

Initially, Traverso was hesitant, but he reluctantly decided to take a walk through the building, and although he didn’t expect it all to come to fruition, he filled out a liquor license application that same day. 

The kicker, and the most pivotal, fortuitous part of the story, is that Traverso had written down Booby’s as the name of the business on the application. 

“I wanted them to know the location,” he said. “They interviewed me publicly during a meeting at city hall and then they voted ‘yes’ to give me a liquor license. After the vote, I went to go sit back down and I heard somebody yell ‘Welcome back Booby’s!’ When I turned around to see who said that, people began hooting and hollering and cheering and clapping. The entire inside of city hall was standing up and cheering on Booby’s, and all I could think about was, ‘Oh my God I didn’t even know if I was gonna do Booby’s.’”

The weekend after, Traverso walked into Harbaugh’s Cafe to a surprising amount of congratulations. After picking up a copy of the Carbondale Times, he saw why.

“It said that ‘Abe Traverso was reopening Booby’s with the original menu,’” he said. “Then I looked on Facebook and see that somebody had taken a picture of the paper, and that it had already gone viral. I looked at my wife, Heather, and said, ‘What the hell is going on?’ And she’s like, ‘Well, you’re opening Booby’s.’ So, Carbondale decided I was reopening Booby’s. And then I got to work.” 

The stars aligned

After reopening the iconic location during Carbondale’s second total solar eclipse in 2024, Traverso began to hear from customers what exactly it was that made this place so special. 

“I learned all the lore after reopening,” Traverso said. “Tons of people come in here all the time and tell me that they met their spouse here, or kids will come in and tell me that if it wasn’t for Booby’s, then they wouldn’t have been born.”

In a town where nostalgia runs rampant and stories about its riveting past instill envy in those living in its present, those that were there when the stories were written are often eager to reminisce. 

“They would close the streets down for Halloween,” Robyn said, referring to SIU’s renowned reputation as one of America’s top party schools during the 1970s and ‘80s. “There was also a time when there was streaking — we had like 70 naked people waiting in line sometimes.” 

Carbondale’s legacy lives within its free-spirited nature, and the people and businesses of the early ‘70s — like Booby’s — played a massive role in molding its radical reputation. 

When an establishment develops that kind of mythos, especially in a town full of divinity, rumors about its heritage quickly spread. For Traverso, dispelling misinformation is no new concept, so when he was finally able to learn how exactly Booby’s got its name, he couldn’t wait to share the story. 

“Its a lot more simple than all the folklore,” Traverso said. “Here’s how it works: The guy named Bobby (Feld) who opened it — they called him Booby. He was Jewish, it was nicknamed from like, Boobela, a Yiddish term. And that’s that.” 

So no, it wasn’t because someone wrote the name down wrong, or because his nephew couldn’t pronounce Bobby or because boobs could be seen on the Strip during Halloween. Booby’s became Booby’s because Booby’s was Bob and Booby’s remains Booby’s because Booby’s is Carbondale. 

“I got really lucky with how the stars aligned,” Traverso said. “It was an iconic Carbondale establishment, and once it got going again and gaining momentum, all I had to do was keep fanning the flames.” 

Traverso credits nearly all of the business’ success to the Carbondale community and the team that surrounds him. He emphasized that listening to his staff and ensuring that they have what they need is vital to its resurgence on the Strip. 

Bruce, Robyn and another former employee, Billy Rogers, all said that what Traverso has done to the business that they helped build is incredibly on par with Feld’s original vibe.

“Bob somehow got us healthcare while we were working here,” Rogers said. “That was unheard of in the ‘70s.” 

Fostering friendships — not just managing employees — and building community were foundational to the original Booby’s concept, and they continue to be pillars of Traverso’s mantra going forward. 

“I encourage all of my people here to just do what they’re best at,” Traverso said. “I don’t get in the way of them. If someone has a great idea, we do it.”

Bruce and Robyn described Traverso as a kind and compassionate leader and said that they were happy with how Booby’s has turned out all these years later. 

“Abe has done a fabulous job of not only revitalizing a really good place where people can come get really good food, but by also paying respect to the history of it,” Bruce said. 

“I love the changes as well,” Robyn added. “I love that there’s music here now. And the quality of the food is superior to what we had. It’s all very, very impressive.” 

Open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 11 to 2 a.m., Booby’s serves submarine sandwiches, drinks and a slice of Carbondale history. 

“This city has shown up, and my expectations have been exceeded,” Traverso said. “We keep this place intentionally inclusive. Anyone can come here. People from all walks of life can come feel comfortable and accepted in this small little place in the middle of town.” 

Booby’s can be found on Instagram and Facebook @boobys_carbondale and online at boobyscarbondale.com. 

Booby’s original owner Bob Feld declined to comment on this story.

News Editor Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at [email protected] and on Instagram @jacksondothtml  

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