Tavern on Rush now to close for good on Wednesday of next week

CHICAGO (CBS) — Tavern on Rush in the Gold Coast will be closing for good not at the start of the New Year as planned, but next week.

The upscale steakhouse at 1031 N. Rush St. announced in August that it would close for good on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, with New Year’s Eve being the last day of business.

But owner Phil Stefani said in a letter posted on the restaurant website that plans had changed. Initially, the building’s landlord had decided not to renew the lease for Tavern on Rush, but an agreement was struck to extend the restaurant’s management contract past its Oct. 31 expiration date so Tavern on Rush to stay open through New Year’s Eve.

“That timetable would have given us a chance to embrace our last few months together,” Stefani wrote. “As we have always said: Bricks and mortar can be replaced. Our employees are the reason we have survived the many ups and downs of this chaotic, but immensely rewarding business.”

Stefani also wrote that management was heartened by the response from customers and staff after the announcement. Tavern on Rush has employed more than 4,000 people and has served more than 8 million over 25 years, the letter said.

But it turns out that due to “contractual matters beyond our control,” Phil Stefani’s has to pull its closing up to an earlier date. The restaurant will now be closing on Wednesday of next week, Oct. 26.

Reservations for those who hoped to visit in November and December, and on New Year’s Eve, will have to be canceled.

Tavern on Rush is part of the Phil Stefani Signature Restaurants group – which calls it “a hot spot for locals and visitors alike.” It opened in April 1998.

Tavern on Rush noted that has been featured annually in the U.S. Top 100 Independent Restaurants List.