'Landlord Dispute' To Lead River North's Longstanding MK Restaurant To Shutter
By Rachel Cromidas in Food on Jun 6, 2017 9:04PM
mk restaurant, photo by L. Stolpman.
River North's longstanding mk restaurant is closing its doors after Sunday.
The restaurant has been operating for 18 years at 868 N. Franklin St., and chef and owner Michael Kornick told the Tribune that a "dispute" with the new landlord is shuttering the restaurant:
"It's a new landlord and an old building," he said. "I needed the landlord to at least share in the expense of upgrades. My investors were ready to reinvest in the property, but without some help from the landlord, it was impossible."
The fine-dining establishment mk was long known for its acclaimed new-American menu and pastries, and more recently, it was the location of the oddly entertaining NBC reality show First Dates. Kornick is still running other restaurants, including the local DMK Burger Bar chain and the new DMK Restaurant cafe inside Merchandise Mart. mk's executive chef Erick Williams is partnering with Kornick on other projects, including the reopening of Little Italy's County Barbeque.
Kornick also told the Tribune that he thinks he has another fine-dining restaurant concept in his future.