Oct. 26 update: Tavern on Rush moved up its closing date to Wednesday, after owner Phil Stefani told employees in a letter last week that contractual issues prevented him from extending the lease through New Year’s Eve, as he originally planned. A final dinner service will take place Wednesday.
Reservations for customers who looked forward to visiting in November and December are in the process of being canceled, and Stefani said he will keep staff employed through the remainder of the year.
Tavern on Rush, one of Gold Coast’s most iconic and packed restaurants, is closing after nearly 25 years.
Owner Phil Stefani said that the restaurant is still doing well, but its 25-year lease is ending and the landlord wants to do something else. “They decided they no longer wanted to lease the space,” he said.
The steakhouse announced the closing Aug. 25 on Facebook, thanking its customers for the long run. “We owe our decades of success to our loyal customers and hardworking staff, many of whom have been with Tavern on Rush since its inception in April of 1998,” the post read.
Stefani said the restaurant’s phone has been ringing constantly since the announcement was made. “Every restaurant builds its own niche and history, and we’ve been blessed,” he said. “Twenty-five years is a long time for any restaurant.”
And he’s been humbled by the outpouring. “That’s the thing about restaurants, it’s really the hospitality industry,” Stefani said. “People have strong memories. This is where they go on dates, have meetings and cut deals.”
The steakhouse opened as a joint project between Phil Stefani and Marty Gutilla, and the crowds descended almost instantly. In a review written in 1999, former Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel noted that the place was so packed it caused “frequent traffic jams” and was sometimes hard to move around. Two decades after Tavern on Rush opened, Gutilla died in 2018 after a battle with cancer.
Stefani said the restaurant will be busy until the end. “We’re trying to go out in style,” Stefani said. “There will be a lot of activity in the next four months.”
Stefani said he has no plans to move the restaurant, but he’s not against it: “If the opportunity knocks and there’s a place to do it. Of course.”
Tavern on Rush, 1031 N. Rush St., 312-664-9600, tavernonrush.com
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