Black Sheep is Closed: "Didn't Have Enough Piggy Banks"
By Anthony Todd in Food on Sep 21, 2011 9:40PM
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.
The interior of The Black Sheep. Photo by Blake Royer, via RIA.
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.