Closings

The Black Sheep Officially Closes

James Toland
James Toland Photo: Blake Royer

What a crazy day. Though the restaurant promised to reopen after a second staff walkout on Saturday, The Black Sheep is now officially closed. In a message on Facebook, chef and owner James Toland wrote the following: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce The Black Sheep has closed indefinitely.” This ends one of the most troubled openings of the year, as it has seemingly dealt with a series of conflicts since the moment it first opened in June.

As you probably remember, it lost general manager Michael Symon in July, the kitchen staff in August, and, finally, the front of the house last weekend. As early as yesterday, Toland was adamant that the restaurant would reopen. But Eater claims that Toland had texted them announce that the restaurant would stay closed. Check out the full message from Toland below.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce The Black Sheep has closed indefinitely. Thank you for all of your support and well wishes during our short run. I am proud of all the work my staff and I did and know in my heart that while we were open, we were one of the best restaurants in Chicago but we just didn’t have enough piggy banks to crack open to keep it going until we broke even.

TheBlackSheep/Facebook

BREAKING: The Black Sheep Has Closed Effective Today [Eater]

The Black Sheep Officially Closes