Introduction to the Closure
JEFFERSON PARK — Northwest Side neighbors are reeling at the news that Jefferson Park’s Gale Street Inn has closed its doors after 62 years in business.
Background of the Restaurant
Gale Street Inn, located at 4914 N. Milwaukee Ave. across from the Jefferson Park Transit Center, announced its closure on Wednesday evening in an Instagram video set to Bruce Cockburn’s “Last Night of the World.” A longer statement was posted to the restaurant’s Instagram on Thursday. “With a sad but satisfied heart, we have closed our restaurant,” the post read. “Hiring and retaining quality staff has proven too tough for too long. We are tired of sucking, we have standards you know. But overworking our existing crew is not the answer.”
History and Impact
George Karzas has run the Northwest Side restaurant known for its barbecued ribs since 1994. Karzas said a plan is being worked out for customers who have Gale Street Inn gift cards. “Most insiders were not shocked,” Karzas wrote in an email to Block Club. “Any announcement of a scheduled closing would’ve put a stampede on the restaurant and cause pressure on a small group of good and hard-working people. We simply weren’t interested.” Karzas said the outpouring of love from customers has been “unbelievable” and that “the shock of it upon review is understandable.”
Community Reaction
In an October 2020 interview with Block Club, Karzas said the restaurant lost about $300,000 since the start of the pandemic and his staff of 36 had dwindled to 12.
The original Gale Street in was located across the street where the Jefferson Park Transit Center currently is. Credit: Provided by the Northwest Side Chicago Historical Society
Memories and Legacy
The restaurant opened in 1963 where the Jefferson Park Transit Center is currently located. It moved across the street in 1969 and in 1985 it was bought by Karzas’ father. Donald Faliszek, vice president of Jefferson Park Forward, has been a Gale Street Inn customer since the 1970s. “I’m crushed, absolutely crushed,” the longtime Jefferson Park resident said. “I would have been going there tonight for dinner had they not closed.” Local media personality Patti Vasquez said growing up in Norwood Park, her family used to go to the restaurant on special occasions. Now a Gladstone Park resident, Vasquez said she’s been to countless Mother’s Day celebrations, family gatherings and post-funeral meals at Gale Street over the years.
Final Days and Closure
Vasquez said she and her son were around the corner from the restaurant at the Jefferson Park Library on Wednesday when she saw the Instagram video announcing the closure. She ran to the bar and texted friends to join her at Gale Street, where she enjoyed the restaurant’s famed ribs for a final time. “What’s great about it is, it’s a neighborhood joint and it’s as good as anywhere else you would go in the Chicago area,” said Vasquez, a host on WCPT 820 AM Radio and member of the Jefferson Park Chamber of Commerce. “If I’m going to go out, that’s where I go.”
The Gale Street Inn as seen on June 20, 2025. Credit: Molly DeVore/ Block Club Chicago
Community Impact and Future
News of the closure came as a total shock to Faliszek, given the restaurant completed an extensive interior renovation last fall and added a few specials, he said. The restaurant temporarily closed during the remodel, but Faliszek said the update was “absolutely beautiful.” The Gale Street staff was always “incredibly friendly” and knew the names and orders of
