Heaven on Seven’s location on Michigan Avenue closed in early January, and even though partner Jimmy Bannos Sr. characterized it as a voluntary decision, there was more to it than that.
Crain’s Chicago Business reported Monday that a judge ordered Bannos’ group to vacate the 600 N. Michigan Ave. space because of unpaid rent.
Reached by phone, Bannos didn’t dispute the Crain’s story but maintained that he was planning to close the restaurant anyway.
“With the economic downturn in ’08, it’s been a battle,” he said. “I was planning on closing it, because the rent was too damn high, but it is what it is.”
Bannos recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of the original Heaven on Seven (111 N. Wabash Ave., 312-263-6443), and still owns the Naperville location (224 S. Main St., 630-717-0777).
“Hey, seventeen and a half years is a pretty good run,” said Bannos of the Michigan Avenue restaurant. “I’m still excited about the original, we’re doing good things and we’re going to do better things, so onward and upward.”
Twitter @philvettel