ronnie_suburban wrote:

Habibi wrote:I'm being very cynical here but I blame this on Chicagoans. We get what we deserve - chain stores and sports bars.

Too cynical for the comment to be taken seriously, although I share the frustration from time to time. True, we are to blame, at least in part, for Oprah-fication of America but Chicago has hardly cornered the market on chain stores and sports bars. Having traveled a fair amount in the U.S., I'd even say that when it comes to unique and distinctive food offerings, we're way ahead of many -- if not most -- other U.S. cities. But yeah, it's distressing when a place like ISB closes.

=R=

One sports bar is one too many.

Beyond these economic issues that we and many others have had to overcome, the ever increasing commercialization of food production in our society such as the offerings by the Walmart, Costco of the world and any of the number of fast food chain, have created a trend for purchasing goods out of convenience rather than purchasing those products that are handmade with quality materials and are rooted in Artisan and traditional methods. These changes in societal ways will be the demise of the mom and pop stores across our nation.

Regrettable as it is in particular cases. and regrettable in this case in particular, this is a dynamic that has been going on for some time:

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/23/139761274/how-the-a-p-changed-the-way-we-shop

And there I was thinking lunch was just a Loop lunch thing, not a farewell to one of my favorite places.

I'm going to miss them.

Pam has been great with any order I've ever placed for the family or special occasions.

Rhetorical question: Did they consider reopening elsewhere?

I feel like that location didn't do them any favors, and between that and their limited hours, I wasn't able to patronize ISB as much as I'd have liked. They'll definitely be missed, but I'm thankful for the advance notice, so I can make sure to squeeze in a few more visits before ISB closes for good.