Louie's Chophouse Will Not Reopen In Oak Lawn After Shutdown
OAK LAWN, IL — Oak Lawn’s most venerable steak house is relocating to Mokena. Louie’s Chop House has been a fixture in the village since 1996. The owners of Louie’s announced that it would not be reopening in Oak Lawn after the coronavirus shutdown.
“My family and I first want to thank the city of Oak Lawn for giving us the opportunity 24 years ago to be able to fulfill a dream that we thought was never possible! Thank you for letting us be such a big part of your community for so many years,” Stella Vardikos Tzotzos wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook page. “We have been blessed with great and loyal customers that we consider many of them as family. Without their support and loyalty we wouldn’t be able to be where we are today. We are going to miss all of you since many of you we have been such a big part of your lives celebrating holidays, retirements, milestones and special occasions.”
Voted the Southland’s Best Steakhouse for five years running, Louis Vardikos began bartending in 1976 at Petey’s Bungalow on 95th Street, a position he held for 20 years, when he realized his dream of owning his own restaurant. In 1996, Vardikos opened Louie’s Chop House, 4642 W 103rd St., Oak Lawn. In addition to his daughter Stella, Louie ran the restaurant with his wife, Kathy, and son, Michael Vardikos. Louie’s Chop House built a loyal legion of regulars who became like family to the Vardikoses.
Vardikos will consolidate the chop house with his other restaurant in Mokena, Jamo’s Live at 10160 191st St., a live entertainment venue and sports bar serving American fare.
“It is the best financial decision for us,” Stella said in an email. “With everything that is going on and [social distancing] restrictions, we will have a lot of restaurant to fill, and still pay the same amount of rent. It didn’t make sense.”
The Vardikos family thanked their dishwashers, cooks, busboys, servers and bartenders. “We wouldn’t be Louie’s without you.” Louie’s will be honoring gift cards at Mokena location “serving the same quality food with some familiar faces so that part won’t change.”
Louie’s will be honoring gift cards at the Mokena location, which is currently undergoing renovations.
“No one ever likes to say goodbye, so we won’t, we will just see you in a different location in a couple of months.”
This article originally appeared on the Oak Lawn Patch
