At 9:10 p.m. Wednesday, almost a full hour until the posted closing time, the door to get into the Gale Street Inn was locked. Although there were still diners finishing their meals, no one else was being let in, and it appeared the restaurant, which has operated since 1963, had served its last meal.
On site at the restaurant at 4914 N. Milwaukee Ave., owner George Karzas said, “I’m tired, it’s hard,” and he promised to post more on social media on Thursday.
He would only add that “business is good. It’s not business, it’s staffing,” which has proven to be a major challenge for many restaurants since the COVID-19 pandemic.
About two hours earlier Wednesday night, speculation the Jefferson Park stalwart might be closing began when the restaurant posted a video on Instagram of the inside of the restaurant with the words, “It’s been a heck of a run Chicago, thank you!” with the Bruce Cockburn song “Last Night of the World” playing in the background. The post did not provide further explanation.
On Thursday morning, Gale Street Inn posted another message on Instagram, explaining further. It said, “With a sad but satisfied heart, we have closed our restaurant. Hiring and retaining quality staff has proven too tough for too long. …To the city of Chicago, we loved operating in the greatest food town on the planet.”
For the Gale Street Inn, known for its tender baby back ribs, the closure comes about a year after a complete remodel and a few years after surviving the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the closing of nearly 19% of all restaurants in Chicago within the first year alone, according to market researcher Datassential. Numbers for the following years were not available.
The restaurant, which has been in operation since 1963 (originally across the street from its current location), was bought by Karzas’ father in 1985. After his death in 1994, Karzas took the reins, where he’s remained ever since.
The news seemed to take diners like Glencoe resident Jim Wigoda by surprise on Wednesday. He was saddened to hear the news.
“It’s a Chicago institution, it’s too bad,” Wigoda said, adding it was often convenient for him to meet friends from downtown Chicago at Gale Street after driving from the North Shore.
Others responded to the Instagram post with a mixture of confusion, sadness and shock.
“What’s going on,” “Say it ain’t so” and “No! Please no” were among the many comments from people on Instagram.
Reached by phone, Illinois Restaurant Association executive director Sam Toia said he was unaware of the announcement but pointed to the elimination of the tip credit, something some restaurant owners are working to repeal in Chicago, and the raids by ICE, which he said have caused some restaurant workers to stay home.
“Between July 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, when tip credit was eliminated, the Chicago restaurant industry has lost 5,200 jobs,” Toia said. “o hear Gale Street Inn is closing after being in business for decades in Jefferson Park and has been the anchor of the downtown Jefferson Park Neighborhood is devastating.
“If we keep mandating and raising property taxes on our independent restaurants throughout our 77 communities, we will see more iconic restaurants like Gale Street Inn closing in our neighborhoods.”