Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Anyone Want to Run Orly's? It's For Sale (on craigslist)

posted by chicago pop


Anyone want to put poor Orly's out of its misery? The owner is willing to pay you to do so.

A reader sent us this notice from -- interestingly -- craigslist: where you really can find everything.

Get the word out to all your friends and Iron Chef America fanatics that the kitchen can be theirs to dream with. The location has potential: Zig & Lou's is smaller, as is the Medici Bakery. Someone should be able to work some magic at a strategic and bustling Hyde Park intersection -- so we're re-running the ad!

CHICAGO RESTAURANT OPPORTUNITY (Hyde Park )




Unique opportunity for youthful yet experienced chef-restaurateur in densely populated Hyde Park.

Owner of 30 years in newly renovated central location wants to phase out and just focus on catering...the restaurant operation will be your ship to steer.
New operator will have complete autonomy to run kitchen & restaurant and keep 90% of profit...plus option to buy owner out at end of lease.

Must be capable of injecting his own 75K for working capital. Otherwise, a 700K 90 seat restaurant & bar is essentially free.

A fresh, new, ambitious face can take Hyde Park and the South Side by storm!

** Call David @ 773 330-0440 * Email your interest to: Beitalpha@aol.com **

9 comments:

David Farley said...

Sounds a little odd to me. Does he continue to run his catering operation out of the same location? That would mean paying up $75K and not getting what is usually the main money-maker of a restaurant operation.

chicago pop said...

If it wasn't odd, it wouldn't be Orly's.

David Farley said...

I walked by there Sunday night around 6:30 pm and it was completely empty. 90% of nothing is nothing.

chicago pop said...

I'm not sure how much of a selling point Orly's 'renovations' will be. It still has Mexican frescos all over the walls, is still gloomy as Neptune's cave, and has never quite gotten beyond the 70's dark paneling-tinted windows thing.

For anyone to make it a go, it will have to be completely gutted and opened to the sun. Probably for than $75K.

LPB said...

It sounds like the Orly's guy just wants to cater out of that kitchen. Why not simply shut down the restaurant and cater full-time?

Who hires Orly's to cater an event anyway? My sister-in-law used Orly's once to cater a holiday party for the folks in her office. Never again.

chicago pop said...

I wonder if Rick Bayless scans craigslist?

Anonymous said...

I wonder if there's a stipulation that you have to keep the guy with the rubber chicken on staff?

Think of how much money has been spent on this place over the past 6 years... 2 name changes, a total rehab of the end of the dining area where they installed all that bagel-making equipment, ripping out the bar and putting in the bakery counter... lots of flailing around and no commitment. The place is like the Twilight Zone.

Richard Gill said...

Yes, that operation has been a question mark and a disappointment from day one. After giving Orly's various incarnations many "second chances," I finally quit going in there. However, one must acknowledge that, with the exception of one unfortunate venture into the South Loop, David Shopiro has put his efforts and money into Hyde Park.

chicago pop said...

Only Chipotle can save us now.