Eastman Egg at Ogilvie has closed. Noticed it was wasn't open at lunchtime last Friday, today window is papered over & a thank you note is posted. Not entirely surprised, as it rarely seemed busy. Thought the food was pretty good, but price point kind of missed the mark -- sandwiches were too pricey for a quick breakfast, but not enough food for lunch.

Now I'm hoping for Do-Rite or Glazed N Infused to take that spot... Ogilvie is in need of doughnuts better than Dunkin

Looks like a Korean place is coming to the former Inspiration Cafe location on Sheridan in Uptown. Crossing fingers for something good, would be a nice addition.

AlekH wrote:Looks like a Korean place is coming to the former Inspiration Cafe location on Sheridan in Uptown. Crossing fingers for something good, would be a nice addition.

Any idea why Inspiration Cafe closed? The concept seemed to be pretty well funded. I mean beyond the normal dnainfo/chicagoist/etc. articles. There had to be something else.

This covers it pretty well

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016071 ... h-ceo-says

tl;dr funding cuts

AlekH wrote:This covers it pretty well

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016071 ... h-ceo-says

tl;dr funding cuts

They should re-open something similar in lowest cost neighborhoods. Even though I'm sure a lot of the success had to do with it's location kinda isolated from other gang territories even if uptown itself has problems.

Maybe somewhere on the Northwest side?

There is an Inspiration Kitchens in Garfield Park.

mclarksox wrote:

AlekH wrote:Looks like a Korean place is coming to the former Inspiration Cafe location on Sheridan in Uptown. Crossing fingers for something good, would be a nice addition.

Any idea why Inspiration Cafe closed? The concept seemed to be pretty well funded. I mean beyond the normal dnainfo/chicagoist/etc. articles. There had to be something else.

Blame it on Rauner and Madigan...

chicagojim wrote:

mclarksox wrote:

AlekH wrote:Looks like a Korean place is coming to the former Inspiration Cafe location on Sheridan in Uptown. Crossing fingers for something good, would be a nice addition.

Any idea why Inspiration Cafe closed? The concept seemed to be pretty well funded. I mean beyond the normal dnainfo/chicagoist/etc. articles. There had to be something else.

Blame it on Rauner and Madigan...

Please folks, let's have this be the last directly political statement on this thread. Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to do some deleting.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

Hackney's in Lake Zurich is closing on Sunday. The owner is retiring.

imsscott wrote:Hackney's in Lake Zurich is closing on Sunday. The owner is retiring.

Does anyone know about the two other suburban locations (Lake and Harms Road)?

The Printer's Row location closed last fall, although their website says they're doing a "new concept" there later this year: http://www.hackneysprintersrow.net

sdrucker wrote:

imsscott wrote:Hackney's in Lake Zurich is closing on Sunday. The owner is retiring.

Does anyone know about the two other suburban locations (Lake and Harms Road)?

The Printer's Row location closed last fall, although their website says they're doing a "new concept" there later this year: http://www.hackneysprintersrow.net

Restaurants continue to operate on Harms and on Lake Street in Glenview, as well as in Palos Park.

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2017 ... 170319454/

Another old-school German standby falls:

Chicago Brauhaus In Lincoln Square To Close

Drove by Yu's Mandarin in Vernon Hills and it looks to be open. Parking lot was pretty full around 1130am.

WhyBeeSea wrote:Drove by Yu's Mandarin in Vernon Hills and it looks to be open. Parking lot was pretty full around 1130am.

A phone call to the Schaumburg location confirmed that the Vernon Hills location is opening today.
4 E. Phillip Rd.
Vernon Hills, IL 60061

Not surprised that Brauhaus is closing as my wife had heard rumors that Brauhaus would be closing. They have been running on fumes for years. The brothers who own the place have been involved in German restaurants with entertainment going back into the late 1960s starting with Zum Lieben Augustin at 4600 North Lincoln. They bought the current building in the late 1970s and so certainly have a low cost basis. Leasing the building out sounds like a good way to avoid capital gains taxes and get some retirement income.

Can't fault people who have worked hard for a long time for cashing out, but this is very distressing. Resi's and Laschet's are better, but they are taverns. Brauhaus is the last of a breed, the big North Side German place. Zum Deutschen Eck , Golden Ox, Brauhaus. Crap. Maybe Gene can save them. By the way, while the place has been coasting for a while and can seem tired, it has remained plenty busy and I'm sure there are many old North Side German families who will dearly miss the place. What will become of the band?? Plus, they do generally have THREE preparations of Schweinshaxe (boiled, braised roasted), and a very respectable hackepeter.

Maybe business picked up at Brauhaus recently, but I stopped going there because I had the opposite observation: other than German-American fest, there were tumbleweeds rolling around between the empty tables. Even on Saturdays. Frankly it was a depressing experience.

I don't know how long it's been since you went to Laschet's but they significantly expanded the dining area a few years ago. Resi's is a tavern first and food is mostly an afterthought. Laschet's on the other hand has an expansive full-service menu and an actual dining area separate from the tavern area.

Don't forget about Edewlweiss out in Dunning or Harwood Heights or wherever it is. I figure all the Poles who have settled and continue to settle in that area will keep it going for the foreseeable future.

Drover wrote:Another old-school German standby falls:

Chicago Brauhaus In Lincoln Square To Close

Wow...what a ridiculous clickbait headline--might as well write "Alinea to close"-- I mean, ALL restaurants will close someday. But with no closing date even contemplated and the owners denying it, this is a hell of a conclusion to draw and publicize. They sound pretty pissed too, though it could very well be a boon to business. Still, annoying.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/drink/beer/ct-chicago-brauhaus-owner-not-closing-any-time-soon-20170315-story.html

boudreaulicious wrote:

Drover wrote:Another old-school German standby falls:

Chicago Brauhaus In Lincoln Square To Close

Wow...what a ridiculous clickbait headline--might as well write "Alinea to close"-- I mean, ALL restaurants will close someday. But with no closing date even contemplated and the owners denying it, this is a hell of a conclusion to draw and publicize. They sound pretty pissed too, though it could very well be a boon to business. Still, annoying.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/drink/beer/ct-chicago-brauhaus-owner-not-closing-any-time-soon-20170315-story.html

This is the second one of these to come up recently. Why say anything (to a journalist, no less) if your plans aren't certain? Unless you're trying to drive down the value of your business in the eyes of any potential buyers, just keep your mouth shut.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:

Drover wrote:Another old-school German standby falls:

Chicago Brauhaus In Lincoln Square To Close

Wow...what a ridiculous clickbait headline--might as well write "Alinea to close"-- I mean, ALL restaurants will close someday. But with no closing date even contemplated and the owners denying it, this is a hell of a conclusion to draw and publicize. They sound pretty pissed too, though it could very well be a boon to business. Still, annoying.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/drink/beer/ct-chicago-brauhaus-owner-not-closing-any-time-soon-20170315-story.html

This is the second one of these to come up recently. Why say anything (to a journalist, no less) if your plans aren't certain? Unless you're trying to drive down the value of your business in the eyes of any potential buyers, just keep your mouth shut.

=R=

I'm not following you.
"The property's listing agent, Peter Graham, told DNAinfo that the Brauhaus owners, brothers Harry and Guenter Kempf, were planning on retiring. In an interview, Harry Kempf said there's been no closing date set. "Nothing is closed, period," Kempf said. "When the time comes, I will personally make the announcement. We are open."
The building, Graham emphasized, is for lease, not for sale."

Not sure how the owner's comments hurt him--doesn't make the building any less up for lease and he lets people know he's still open for business (and encourages people to get in who may want one last meal before they close, whenever that is).

Drover wrote:Maybe business picked up at Brauhaus recently, but I stopped going there because I had the opposite observation: other than German-American fest, there were tumbleweeds rolling around between the empty tables. Even on Saturdays. Frankly it was a depressing experience.

I don't know how long it's been since you went to Laschet's but they significantly expanded the dining area a few years ago. Resi's is a tavern first and food is mostly an afterthought. Laschet's on the other hand has an expansive full-service menu and an actual dining area separate from the tavern area.

Don't forget about Edewlweiss out in Dunning or Harwood Heights or wherever it is. I figure all the Poles who have settled and continue to settle in that area will keep it going for the foreseeable future.

I'm a frequent diner at both Laschet's and Resi's, the latter mostly in the summer months where it has a clear edge with the beer garden. I completely disagree that the food is an afterthought at Resi's. Several of their dishes are better than Laschet's, which I love equally well. Really, the two places have their particular strengths. The potato dishes at Resi's are tops; the spaetzle at Laschet's is unmatched. Both have good schnitzels. The soups and stews are a strength at Laschet's (my go-to meal is the goulash soup and a side of spaetzle). Resi's has their Russian Eggs, Laschet's their composed hackepeter. But only Resi's has the Schnitzkreig, Chicago's best unknown sandwich. The regular cook does genius work from a closet using a beat up old apartment range. Regarding Brauhaus, maybe you are going there later in the evening than my last few visits. It's an early-bird kind of place. I will say, Lincoln Sq. actually got a bit more German when Pizza DOC morphed into Himmel's around the same time Glunz shuttered (but then the swanky but mysterious-to-me Glunz Tavern emerged in Old Town).

From the Chicago Tribune story on Brauhaus:

This much is absolutely true. After 52 years, the Kempf brothers sold the building that houses their restaurant.

"This is a hell of a good time in real estate to sell," Kempf said. "This used to be a (crappy) place; now it's beautiful.

"The deal for the real estate hasn't even closed yet," Kempf added, "and the people who bought it are looking to lease the space. But it's in my contract that I can pay those guys rent and stay open. I just took reservations for Easter."

It may indeed be true that the Kempf brothers are ready to call it a career sooner rather than later. But Harry Kempf wants that announcement, whenever it may come, to be made on his terms.

"What might happen in two months, three months, I will decide," he said. "I don't want to make any false impressions. The place is open, and will stay open until I come out and say so.

"Nobody else will run Chicago Brauhaus after me, that's for sure."

It appears that the buyers of the building are starting to try to lease the building even before the sale is complete and that the listing agent's statement to DNA Info was incomplete. It sounds as though the Kempf brothers are willing to take a tax hit to get out unless the sale involves some tax-deferred exchange. It also seems likely that the restaurant closing will come within months rather than the possibly long time it would take to lease the space.

I doubt that anyone would want to put a large restaurant in that space (Brauhaus uses both the main floor and basement as dining areas) given the parking situation and property taxes in the heart of Lincoln Square.

boudreaulicious wrote:

Drover wrote:Another old-school German standby falls:

Chicago Brauhaus In Lincoln Square To Close

Wow...what a ridiculous clickbait headline--might as well write "Alinea to close"-- I mean, ALL restaurants will close someday. But with no closing date even contemplated and the owners denying it, this is a hell of a conclusion to draw and publicize. They sound pretty pissed too, though it could very well be a boon to business. Still, annoying.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/drink/beer/ct-chicago-brauhaus-owner-not-closing-any-time-soon-20170315-story.html

They may not have a firm closing date but the fact that there's an active listing for the building lease strongly indicates an exit plan has commenced. And while Harry Kempf seems pissed in the Tribune article, his own statement is basically a hedge. His anger seems more because he was robbed of the the initiative to make the announcement rather than there being no truth to it. Maybe the agent spoke without their authority, but when your building is for lease the word is going to get out sooner or later.

I posted this in the Buck's Wicker Park thread - it has reported closed

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017031 ... -rent-sign

leek wrote:I posted this in the Buck's Wicker Park thread - it has reported closed

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017031 ... -rent-sign

Eater verified the closing of Buck's. I also passed by there today, and there was a big "Restaurant for Rent" banner hanging and the place was empty.

Derek Rylon, the chef behind the popular Batter & Berries and Rylon’s Smokehouse, has plans to open his third restaurant this week, this time in the Gold Coast. Rylon says Palette, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, will cater to the local crowd.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/re ... story.html

Dave148 wrote:

Derek Rylon, the chef behind the popular Batter & Berries and Rylon’s Smokehouse, has plans to open his third restaurant this week, this time in the Gold Coast. Rylon says Palette, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, will cater to the local crowd.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/re ... story.html

More power to him! Very happy about the success of Batter & Berries in our neighborhood.

Sloopin reports that PorkChop has closed their South Loop location:

http://www.sloopin.com/2017/03/porkchop ... leave.html

So, Papjin in Wicker Park (1551 N Milwaukee) had closed awhile ago because the owners demolished the building to build a new, larger building on the same site. The owners in interviews said that they would come back with a restaurant on the ground floor with the new development.

There is a building permit at the same address to build out a new clothing store - so either say goodbye to Papjin ever coming back there (or maybe anywhere?) or coming back at half the size...

marothisu wrote:So, Papjin in Wicker Park (1551 N Milwaukee) had closed awhile ago because the owners demolished the building to build a new, larger building on the same site. The owners in interviews said that they would come back with a restaurant on the ground floor with the new development.

There is a building permit at the same address to build out a new clothing store - so either say goodbye to Papjin ever coming back there (or maybe anywhere?) or coming back at half the size...

DNA Info reported a couple weeks ago that it wasn't re-opening.