Beloved Illinois restaurant shuts after 63 years due to a devastating family tragedy

A beloved Illinois restaurant is closing down aft much than six decades successful business. 

Petey's Bungalow Restaurant & Lounge successful Oak Lawn, little than an hr from Chicago, is acceptable to adjacent its doors for the past clip connected October, 15, the edifice said successful an affectional statement. 

The supper nine benignant steakhouse and seafood edifice was tally by Petey Kattos and his woman Mary for 63 years. 

The young mates opened the edifice unneurotic successful 1961, but sadly Mary passed distant past twelvemonth drafting the couple's task to an end. 

Heartbroken Petey decided things would not beryllium the aforesaid without his beloved woman and announced that helium has decided to adjacent this section of his life.  

'Mary and I lived the American dream. Our travel began 63 years agone and we followed our passionateness of edifice entrepreneurship by opening and moving our ain businesses — the Bungalow and Petey's II,' the 87-year-old Greek migrant said. 

'As clip passes, you yet recognize erstwhile it's clip to extremity a chapter.'

Petey said helium volition walk his past remaining days astatine the edifice 'doing what helium loves astir successful the room and greeting friends portion honoring immoderate outstanding acquisition certificates.'

'From humble beginnings to becoming a cherished local, household tally business, we person been privileged to service generations of families and our community,' the restaurant' connection said. 

The edifice 'has been a cornerstone of this community, a testament to hard work, dedication, and unwavering committedness to excellence,' it read. 

The couple's different business, Petey's II, which Mary managed, closed successful January. 

In 2019 Petey told the Chicago Tribune helium was penning a publication astir his life.

Petey was calved connected the Greek land of Charos and trained arsenic a cook arsenic a teenager.  

In 1958 helium near Greece for America, aged conscionable 21 and aft immoderate years moving successful an Italian edifice successful Chicago, a loyal lawsuit helped him commencement his ain business. 

He met his woman Mary connected the bid connected the mode to instrumentality English classes downtown. 

The mates joined and went connected to person 2 daughters. 

Many locals and loyal patrons recalled their favourite memories of the couple's edifice pursuing the closure announcement. 

Among them was the town's mayor, Terry Vorderer, who wrote: 'This is simply a large nonaccomplishment not lone for Oak Lawn but for me.' 

'I’ve enjoyed hundreds of good meals, possibly adjacent 1 of my archetypal meal cocktails arsenic a young man. God bless Petey, the shortest antheral I cognize with the biggest bosom and hardest moving antheral I know. You volition beryllium missed.' 

'Petey's is simply a immense puerility representation of mine. Going determination with my family, successful peculiar my grandpa who knew Petey precise well.. I americium truthful bittersweet to perceive this news, but privation Petey the best,' different fan, Courtney Reardon, wrote. 

'We loved Petey’s ever since my woman took maine determination erstwhile we archetypal met successful 1979!' Edward Kay fondly recalled. 

This twelvemonth has seen scores of US restaurants, tiny ones similar Petey's and large chains, adjacent - but astir person been arsenic a effect of them having fiscal problems. 

Big sanction chains similar Applebee's, TGI Fridays and Boston Market person have each precocious shuttered restaurants.

Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy successful May and closed astir 100 restaurants.  It has since emerged from bankruptcy. 

BurgerFi  filed for bankruptcy in September - sparking sparks fears of wide closures of its 162 locations. 

Earlier this year, Hooters closed astir 40 'underperforming' restaurants at locations om Florida, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia in a bid to chopped costs. 

Across America, mom-and-pop operations person besides been shutting.

For example, Fargo's Pit BBQ successful Texas closed aft much than 2 decades of serving brisket, ribs and other barbecue classics.