乔治·卡扎斯（George Karzas）行事低调。在他常去的韦斯顿咖啡馆，店员们对他计划关闭盖尔街旅馆一事毫不知情——这位老顾客总爱点蓝莓松饼和留出加奶油空间的滴滤咖啡。杰斐逊公园及其周边地区的众多熟客们也对此全然未觉。
“现在谈论还为时过早，”卡尔扎斯（Karzas）周五在他位于密尔沃基大道北4914号的餐厅鲜红色门口说道。自周三晚上以来，他一直锁着门。
卡扎斯（Karzas）周四在Instagram上宣布，自1963年开业至今的社区老店盖尔街客栈（Gale Street Inn）已永久关闭。业内人士指出，这反映出本地餐馆正面临令人担忧的倒闭潮。他将突然歇业的主要原因归咎于人员短缺问题。
他写道：'长期以来，招聘和留住优秀员工一直是个难题。我们已经厌倦了表现糟糕，要知道我们是有标准的。但过度压榨现有团队并非解决之道——问题很简单：客户太多，而我们人手不足。'
他在帖子中继续写道，自己一直热爱在芝加哥经营餐厅，称这座城市是"地球上最伟大的美食之都"，并坦言"关闭零售业务总难有体面的方式"。该餐厅以其招牌菜蜜汁小肋排广为人知。
当地一些居民正为这家餐厅的关闭感到惋惜。在杰斐逊公园出生并长大的康拉德·克利马（Konrad Klima）当天过得不太顺心，本打算周五晚上去盖尔街餐厅喝杯啤酒、吃碗汤。但周五下午得知该餐厅已歇业时，他不得不另寻去处，这让他倍感失落。
“真扫兴。”他说道。
乔治·卡塔尼亚（George Catania）在盖尔街餐厅用餐已有50年之久，从孩提时代起，他就常与祖父母在此共进晚餐。他喜爱这里的排骨和工作人员。卡塔尼亚表示，得知他们突然全部失业，他感到非常难过。
盖尔街旅馆（Gale Street Inn）创始于1963年，最初是密尔沃基大道与盖尔街转角附近的一家小酒馆，当时在现址对面供应德克萨斯风味的大份量牛肉和火腿三明治。该餐厅创始人乔治·希奥莱斯（George Chioles）和琼·希奥莱斯（Joan Chioles）的女儿乔治娜·希奥莱斯-内夫（Georgene Chioles-Neff）周五通过电话向《论坛报》透露了这一信息。
现年71岁、居住在迪卡尔布县金斯顿的基奥莱斯-内夫回忆道，她的父亲曾向祖父母借款5000美元开设酒馆，经过一番打理，酒馆变得**非常古朴温馨**，还配有一个**精美的背柜**。她在芝加哥公立学校担任教师的母亲为酒馆取名“盖尔街客栈”。她还记得父亲当年在柜台后切牛肉、用黑麦面包制作三明治的情景。
据10岁起就在这家酒馆洗碗的基奥莱斯-内夫回忆，几年后，盖尔街的厨师路易·阿蒂斯将他的小排秘方分享给了家人。这道菜大受欢迎，以至于这家仅有20张桌子的小酒馆门外排起了长队。
“这是家族事业，”她说道，“我们来自杰斐逊公园，就是本地人。正因为这是一个共同奋斗的年轻家庭，才更显得难能可贵。”
她表示，1968年市政府通过征用权收回了这家酒馆的房产，以建设杰斐逊公园交通中心，迫使餐厅搬迁。由于排骨生意火爆引发交通问题的担忧，当地一家银行曾试图阻止该家族购置新房产——据她所述，当时那处房产是个养鸡场。基奥莱斯-内夫透露，这家人最终以餐厅酒保鲍勃·贝克的名义完成了购买。
基奥莱斯-内夫笑着说：'这是个真实的故事，我向上帝发誓。'他补充道，1969年重新开业时，店门外排起了长队。
据她所述，乔治·基奥莱斯（George Chioles）于1985年将盖尔街旅馆（Gale Street Inn）出售给哈里·卡尔扎斯（Harry Karzas）——即乔治·卡尔扎斯（George Karzas）的父亲。此前，基奥莱斯曾在芒德莱恩（Mundelein）开设了第二家分店，但该家族现已不再持有该产业。乔治·卡尔扎斯曾效力于餐饮集团Lettuce Entertain You创始人里奇·梅尔曼（Rich Melman），他于1992年接手这家餐厅，并将其重新定位为更高端的场所。
这家餐厅的肋排依旧广受赞誉，其表面裹着一层甜辣酱汁。其他菜品，如柠檬汁浸泡的螃蟹，同样备受青睐。该餐厅还以供应本地精酿啤酒和墙上悬挂当地艺术品而闻名。
基奥莱斯-内夫表示，得知餐厅本周关闭的消息后，她既震惊又心碎。所有回忆如潮水般涌来——清晨与祖父一起工作的时光、父亲那"比生命更宏大"的个性，以及母亲的慷慨无私。
她说：“我们剩下的三个人——我哥哥、姐姐和我——都非常难过。昨天我哭了一整天。这又是一次失去。我父母把全部心血都倾注在了这家餐厅上。”
就在两周前，伊利诺伊州餐饮协会主席兼首席执行官萨姆·托亚（Sam Toia）与卡尔扎斯（Karzas）进行了交谈。在那次谈话中，他隐约感觉到卡尔扎斯可能即将关闭这家餐厅，但托亚表示，卡尔扎斯似乎本周才下定决心付诸行动。托亚称卡尔扎斯为“密尔沃基大道的事实市长”，并说他熟知杰斐逊公园的一切。
托亚说："盖尔街客栈曾是人们举行圣餐礼、毕业典礼和周年纪念的场所。如今芝加哥西北区又失去了一处庆祝特殊节日的绝佳地点。"
他继续说道："在盖尔街吃到的牛排和我们市中心任何一家牛排馆的一样美味。而且那里的肋排可能是芝加哥全城最棒的。"
托亚表示，卡尔扎斯及其所代表的众多餐饮业主对小费抵扣政策取消后的经营可持续性深感忧虑。他同时指出，自2020年以来，人工及原材料成本在内的各项支出已累计上涨35%。此外，当前对移民突击检查的恐惧也成为业界的重大担忧。
托亚表示，总而言之，本地小型企业正艰难维持运营。
托亚表示：“餐饮业在疫情前本就是薄利行业，疫情后更是沦为蝇头小利的生意。”
其他本地商户同样察觉到了社区的变化。史蒂夫·博洛斯（Steve Bollos）的家族在盖尔街餐厅开业同期接管了杰斐逊酒馆——这家深受喜爱的潜水酒吧就位于盖尔街隔壁。近三十年来，博洛斯与卡尔扎斯（Karzas）比邻经营，共同拥有许多忠实的老主顾。
博洛斯表示："盖尔街和乔治餐厅一直是杰斐逊公园美食文化的核心支柱。盖尔街的关闭对杰斐逊公园社区乃至整个芝加哥都是沉重打击，因为他们树立了这样一个标杆——那里不仅是值得造访的场所，更能让你获得宾至如归的体验。"
George Karzas kept his cards close to his chest. At Westons Coffee, where he often orders a blueberry muffin and drip coffee with room for cream, the baristas had no idea the longtime restaurant owner planned to close Gale Street Inn. Nor did his many customers in and around Jefferson Park.
Its too soon to talk, Karzas said Friday from the bright red doorway of his restaurant at 4914 N. Milwaukee Ave. He has kept the door locked since Wednesday night.
Karzas announced on Instagram Thursday that Gale Street Inn, a neighborhood staple in operation since 1963, was permanently closed, a troubling trend among local restaurants, industry professionals say. He cited staffing shortages as the primary reason for the abrupt closure.
Hiring and retaining quality staff has proven too tough for too long, he wrote. We are tired of sucking, we have standards you know. But overworking our existing crew is not the answer. There are simply too many of you and not enough of us.02
He went on to say in the post that hes loved operating in Chicago, the greatest food town on the planet, and that there is no gracious way to close a retail business. The restaurant is widely known for its signature baby back ribs.02
Some locals are mourning the loss of the restaurant. Konrad Klima, who was born and raised in Jefferson Park, had been having a tough day and was planning to have a beer and a bowl of soup at Gale Street on Friday evening. He was disappointed when he heard Friday afternoon that he’d have to find somewhere else to go.
Thats a bummer, he said.
George Catania had been eating at Gale Street for 50 years, since he was a little kid and would eat dinner there with his grandparents. He liked the ribs and the people who worked there. Catania said he feels bad that they are all suddenly out of a job.
Gale Street Inn opened in 1963 in a small tavern near the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Gale Street, serving Texas-size beef and ham sandwiches across the street from its current location, Georgene Chioles-Neff, the daughter of the original owners, George and Joan Chioles, told the Tribune when reached by phone Friday.02
She said her dad borrowed $5,000 from his parents to open the tavern, and they were able to clean it up to make it very quaint and sweet with a beautiful back bar. Her mom, a Chicago Public Schools teacher, came up with the name Gale Street Inn, said Chioles-Neff, 71, of Kingston in DeKalb County. She remembers her father slicing the beef behind the bar at that time, and serving the sandwiches on dark rye.02
A couple of years later, Gale Street cook Louie Artis shared with her family his recipe for baby back ribs, which became so popular that lines formed outside the 20-table tavern, said Chioles-Neff, who started washing dishes at the tavern at age 10.02
It was a family affair, she said. We were from Jefferson Park. We were from the neighborhood. Because it was a young family working together that was part of the appeal.02
In 1968, the city took the tavern property via eminent domain to build the Jefferson Park Transit Center, forcing the restaurant to relocate, she said. Because of concerns about traffic due to the ribs success, a local bank attempted to block the family from purchasing the new property, which she said at the time was a chicken farm. Chioles-Neff said the family used the name of Bob Beck, a bartender at the restaurant, to buy it.0202
Its a true story, so help me God, Chioles-Neff said with a laugh, adding that there was a line out the door when they reopened in 1969.
George Chioles sold the Gale Street Inn in 1985 to Harry Karzas, father of George Karzas, after opening a second location in Mundelein, which the family no longer owns, she said. George Karzas, who had worked for Lettuce Entertain You founder Rich Melman, took it over in 1992 and worked to reposition the restaurant as a more upscale place.
The restaurant was still widely lauded for its ribs, slathered in a sweet peppery sauce. Other items, such as crab bathed in lemon sauce, enjoyed their moment in the sun as well. The restaurant was also known to serve beer from local breweries and hang local art on the walls.
Chioles-Neff said she was shocked and heartbroken to learn the restaurant closed this week. All the memories came flooding back working with her grandfather in the early morning hours, her fathers bigger than life personality and her moms generosity.02
The three of us that are left, my brother, my sister and myself, are very sad, she said. I cried all day yesterday. It was another loss. My mom and dad put their entire heart and soul into (the restaurant).02
Just two weeks ago, Sam Toia, the president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, spoke with Karzas. During that conversation, he got an inkling Karzas might close the eatery soon, but Toia said it seemed Karzas just decided to go for it this week. Toia called Karzas the de facto mayor of Milwaukee Avenue, saying he knows everything about Jefferson Park.02
Gale Street Inn was a place you went for your communions, your graduations, your anniversaries, Toia said. Now you’re taking another great place away from the Northwest Side of Chicago, where people went to celebrate special occasions.
You could get as good a steak at Gale Street as you can at any of our steakhouses downtown, he continued. And the ribs might have been the best ribs in the city of Chicago.
Toia said Karzas, and many other restaurateurs Toia represents, had large concerns about the financial viability of their businesses after the elimination of the tip credit . He also said that since 2020, labor and product costs have both increased 35%, among other expenses. Fear of immigration raids is another big concern right now, he said.02
All in all, small, locally owned businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, Toia said.02
The restaurant industry was an industry of nickels and dimes before the pandemic, and post-pandemic , it’s turned into a business of pennies and nickels, Toia said.02
Other local business owners also feel the change coming to the neighborhood. Steve Bollos family took over the Jefferson Inn a beloved dive bar right next door to Gale Street around the same time the restaurant opened its doors. Bollos and Karzas worked side by side for close to 30 years and shared many of the same longtime regulars.02
Gale Street and George have been an anchor for Jefferson Park when it comes to food culture, Bollos said. The closing of Gale Street is pretty devastating for the Jefferson Park neighborhood and Chicago in general, because they created this label of a place to go, where you can be treated right and feel at home.
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