Black Sheep is Closed: "Didn't Have Enough Piggy Banks"

The interior of The Black Sheep. Photo by Blake Royer, via RIA.

According to Eater Chicago, whose original post inspired a minor twitter war with Chef James Toland, the restaurant (which earlier insisted that it was staying open) is no more. Don't try to make reservations, and if you have them - make sure you tell your friends/significant others that they are out of luck.

On Facebook, Toland writes:

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce The Black Sheep has closed indefinitely. Thank you for all of your support and well wishes during our short run. I am proud of all the work my staff and I did and know in my heart that while we were open, we were one of the best restaurants in Chicago, but we just didn't have enough piggy banks to crack open to keep it going until we broke even."

The moral of the story? Chefs aren't great at PR, and often need managers to guide them in their interactions with the public, with the food media and with their staff. Even the greatest cook can sometimes make an unsolvable mess of things.

Facebook originally via The Feast.

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By Anthony Todd in Food on September 21, 2011 4:40 PM

Comments [rss]

Peg Wolfe

Re publicity, wasn't Black Sheep a client of RIA?

Ellen Malloy

Hey, Peg. Yes The Black Sheep was a member of RIA, though that does not mean "we did their publicity." What we offer restaurants is a tool for connecting with audiences that matter. It is DIY and our involvement with clients is focused on helping them use our service better (advice on answering questions, filling out profiles). Many (maybe most?) of our clients also have PR firms that help guide their actions and our service is priced low enough so they can afford both if needed.