The coronavirus has accomplished a rare feat: It has closed down a high-end Chicago steakhouse.

Chicago steakhouses have managed to thrive in good times and bad, but in a notice filed with the Illinois Department of Commerce, the parent company of Ruth’s Chris Steak House announced that its River North location has closed permanently, after nearly 28 years.

The restaurant had been closed since March, when restaurants across the state were ordered closed as a response to the coronavirus. This notification makes the closure permanent.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which originated in New Orleans, arrived in Chicago in late 1992; it quickly shed its outsider status by shrewdly hiring Glenn Keefer (formerly of The Palm, who went on to create Keefer’s and, currently, Sophia Steak in Wilmette) as general manger. Known for its prime steaks, 500-degree plates and abundance of appetizer choices, Ruth’s Chris quickly caught on among Chicago’s beef-eaters.

The chain made headlines in May when the parent company returned $20 million in Paycheck Protection Program funding. Criticism had arisen when some large publicly traded corporations had received funds from a federal relief program meant to help small businesses.

The Ruth’s Chris Steak House locations in Northbrook and South Barrington remain open.

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