{"id":982933,"date":"2026-08-05T19:25:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/982933\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T19:25:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T19:25:19","slug":"restaurant-closures-wishbone-and-stellas-diner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/982933\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant closures: Wishbone and Stella\u2019s Diner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Less than two weeks after Ann Sather opened a new flagship location<\/a> between East Village and Wicker Park, the beloved diner known for its massive, house-made cinnamon rolls announced another big move: It\u2019s moving back to Lakeview, into the former Stella\u2019s Diner that closed permanently this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cLakeview has been good to me,\u201d said former Ald. Tom Tunney, Ann Sather\u2019s owner and operator, who had closed the last Belmont Avenue location after 81 years in the neighborhood in late June.<\/p>\n

Although Ann Sather\u2019s move into Stella\u2019s comes weeks after the diner temporarily closed in July following a failed city health inspection<\/a>, Tunney said the deal was years in the making.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was approached by Stella\u2019s owner Marvin (Barsky), two or three years ago, to potentially buy Stella\u2019s,\u201d Tunney said, noting that he already had a space on Broadway. \u201cBut now things were different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tunney said he plans to close the Ann Sather location at Broadway and Roscoe by the end of the year, as the lease expires, making the move to Stella\u2019s more of a relocation than an expansion.<\/p>\n

Stella\u2019s failed its health inspection on July 9, which found over 50 trapped cockroaches in the kitchen\u2019s temperature-controlled holding units and several other violations. Managers were instructed to remove all roach carcasses and seal the bottoms of entryways to prevent more pests from entering. The city later cleared the restaurant to reopen after the required corrections were made.<\/p>\n

Tunney said the closure has nothing to do with the inspection.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe issue was the expiration of my lease at Broadway and Roscoe and having a void in Lakeview, making it natural for me to look at Stella\u2019s,\u201d Tunney said. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Tunney said Stella\u2019s will undergo renovations before reopening as Ann Sather on 3042 N. Broadway, including repairs to the 100-year-old building.<\/p>\n

He plans to open in about eight weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always a challenge, despite the condition of the building prior,\u201d Tunney said. \u201cWe are going to do a thorough cleaning and re-cleaning, and structural work to do with our landlord,\u201d he said. \u201cWe did the same thing at Division, but Division was in better shape.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month, Tunney relocated Ann Sather\u2019s longtime Belmont Avenue restaurant to the former Yolk space at 1819 W. Division St. after the Belmont property was sold to a developer planning an apartment building.<\/p>\n

Tunney hopes to rehire many of the employees from Stella\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re important \u2026 they know customer service and they know how to cook breakfast,\u201d he said. \u201cSome people are sentimental about Stella\u2019s \u2014 I\u2019m not \u2014 and some people are sentimental about Ann Sather closing on Belmont, so we\u2019re going to try to keep everybody \u2014 to the best of our ability \u2014 happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Stella'sStella\u2019s Diner sits empty after it was closed on July 9, 2026, by Chicago officials for trouble with insects and rodents, Aug. 4, 2026. The location will become an Ann Sather restaurant. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Barsky, owner of Stella\u2019s Diner, could not be reached for comment, but in a statement shared on Instagram<\/a>, took \u201cfull responsibility for everything that has happened over the past several weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barsky also owns Lakeview\u2019s The Bagel Restaurant and Deli (3107 N. Broadway), which also closed temporarily for 17 days after an inspection on June 2 found a heavy cockroach infestation. It reopened on June 20 after passing the re-inspection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI quickly realized that owning and operating two iconic Chicago restaurants comes with challenges and responsibilities,\u201d Barsky said in the statement. \u201cI do not take the privilege of being entrusted with these historic establishments lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Ann Sather opens in the former Stella\u2019s space, the grand total of Ann Sather restaurants will be four, at least until the end of the year.<\/p>\n

The Belmont location of Ann Sather has moved five times in 81 years. The legendary Ann Sather originally bought what was called the Swedish Diner in 1945, then moved it a few doors down and changed the name to Ann Sather\u2019s in 1955. Tunney worked with her shortly after and took over the business at 925 W. Belmont in 1980. When the lease ended, he purchased the adjacent building at 929 W. Belmont in 1984.<\/p>\n

In other restaurant closings, the West Loop\u2019s Wishbone (161 N. Jefferson St.) announced Monday on social media that it would be closing for good.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no easy way to say goodbye to something that has been such a large part of our lives for so long,\u201d owners Joel and Julie Nickson said in a statement posted to Instagram<\/a>. \u201cTo our many loyal customers and to the generations of staff members who helped make Wishbone what it became, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JoelJoel Nickson, owner of Wishbone restaurant on June 16, 2016, has been serving food in Chicago for over 30 years. (Phil Velasquez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The beloved brunch spot had been open for 36 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe began in 1990 at 1800 West Grand Avenue on a shoestring budget with a lot of help from family, and of course, my mother\u2019s painting on the walls,\u201d the statement said. \u201cDuring the time we have left, we hope people will come by, share a meal, say goodbye and help us celebrate everything Wishbone has been to our family, our staff and Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wishbone became known widely as a destination for Southern-style cooking whose regular customers used to include staff from Oprah Winfrey\u2019s Harpo Studios, when they were located next door.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the Tribune in 2018<\/a>, owner Joel Nickson said \u201cpeople used to think this was Oprah\u2019s restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even then, Nickson cited rising rent prices as a reason to relocate. Wishbone\u2019s reasons for closing permanently weren\u2019t clear and the owners don\u2019t yet have a closing date, but they hope to remain open through the end of August.<\/p>\n

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