Park Grill: The People's Restaurant

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jan 31, 2008 7:42PM

The sweetheart deal negotiated by the investors of Park Grill and the Park District has been covered before. But a good story is worth repeating, so we'll remind you, the taxpayer, what you're paying for at Park Grill:

- garbage collection
- their gas bill
- half of the restaurant's construction costs (an estimated $4.2 million).

Oh, they also don't pay real estate taxes. Faced with such insurmountable odds, Park Grill's investors are finally starting to see some payoff on their investment. They've split over a half-million dollars in profits since the restaurant's 2003 opening (which we find low considering the cost of some of their plates). The Sun-Times writes in today's edition that the restaurant has become a $12 million operation while reminding us that their investment group is teeming with friends of Mayor Daley, including the pops-up-everywhere Fred Barbara. It's only reasonable to believe that they should be paying more for the privilege of a prime location. Or at least a cut of the pie, since we're footing the bill. It would seem fitting to walk into Park Grill for your reservation and ask the host "Ubi Est Mea" ("where's mine?").