SOUTH LOOP \u2014 Another restaurant is departing the South Loop as two others make themselves at home in Printers Row. The Burger Point, 1900 S. State St., will close for good Tuesday. Owner Michael Strotter announced the news on Instagram ahead of what would\u2019ve been the restaurant\u2019s 10-year anniversary in January.<\/p>\n
The decision to close came amid declining sales in an increasingly challenging business climate, even as other restaurants have opened in the area, said Strotter, who bought the restaurant from its original owner in 2016. \u201cI treated this business like a ministry, and that wasn\u2019t the best strategy. We didn\u2019t want to raise prices because we didn\u2019t want to share the pain,\u201d Strotter said. \u201cBut the increased competition in the area \u2014 seven restaurants opened in the time we\u2019ve been here \u2014 it was hard. And post-COVID, the area wasn\u2019t as busy as it used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Known for specialty burgers like The Capone and the Drunken Granny, The Burger Point attracted attention from food influencers and WGN TV\u2019s \u201cChicago\u2019s Best.\u201d But weekday business has slumped, Strotter said. \u201cWe\u2019re just not doing this well during the weekdays and I attribute that to, we\u2019re not doing the lunch business that we used to do,\u201d he said. \u201cLike Kenny Rogers said, you\u2019ve gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them.\u201d <\/p>\n
Strotter also pointed to customers\u2019 perception of crime in the area. Despite the South Loop\u2019s rising popularity, the stigma of the \u201cdangerous South Side\u201d persists, he said. Still, he\u2019s grateful for the outpouring of love from customers, he said. The retired radiology administrator isn\u2019t saying goodbye to the restaurant business for good; his family owns Ain\u2019t She Sweet Cafe in Bronzeville and Beverly.<\/p>\n
Reserv, a new sports bar, has taken over the former Roots Pizza space in the South Loop.
\nReserv offers casual bar fare like burgers and wings along with cocktails like the Lavender Lemon Drop, and it\u2019s open in the mornings serving coffee and breakfast, according to its Instagram. Reserv replaces Roots Handmade Pizza, which closed in October after five years.<\/p>\n
Also coming to Printers Row is Pressbox, which is taking over the former Bar Louie at 47 W. Polk St., which abruptly closed in March along with two other Bar Louie locations.
\nThere\u2019s little information available about Pressbox, but it promises to be the \u201cgo-to bar for vibes, bites and big plays\u201d on its Instagram profile. One of its managing members is former Cook County Circuit Court judicial candidate Erika Orr Menefee, according to a liquor license application filed last week.<\/p>\n
The closure of The Burger Point and the opening of new bars in Printers Row signal a shift in the neighborhood’s dining and nightlife landscape. As the area continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how these new establishments fare and what other changes are in store for the South Loop.<\/p>\n
Q: Why is The Burger Point closing?
\nA: The Burger Point is closing due to declining sales and increased competition in the area.
\nQ: What is replacing Roots Handmade Pizza in Printers Row?
\nA: Reserv, a new sports bar, has taken over the former Roots Pizza space.
\nQ: What is Pressbox, and where is it located?
\nA: Pressbox is a new bar taking over the former Bar Louie location at 47 W. Polk St. in Printers Row.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to South Loop’s Burger Point Closure SOUTH LOOP \u2014 Another restaurant is departing the South Loop as two others make themselves at home in Printers Row. The Burger Point, 1900 S. State St., will close for good Tuesday. Owner Michael Strotter announced the news on Instagram ahead of what would\u2019ve been the restaurant\u2019s 10-year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34614","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2025\/12\/BurgerPointSloop.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,1248&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34614"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34617,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34614\/revisions\/34617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}