“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.
“‘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.’
“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.
“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.
“‘What’s going on,’ ‘Say it ain’t so’ and ‘No! Please no’ were among the many comments from people on Instagram.
“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.”