Sixteen Restaurant In Chicago Closes

Sixteen, the fine dining restaurant inside Trump Tower in Chicago's River North district, will shut its doors at the end of next month, Chicago Mag reports. The high-end, two-Michelin-star spot will hold its last service on April 28 before closing to be retooled into what's being described as a more casual (but not more affordable, per se) concept. The closure comes a few months after the city lost another Michelin-starred kitchen, Grace, as chef Curtis Duffy was unable to negotiate a buyout from his stakeholders.  

"This has been in the works for longer than most people might realize," Nick Dostal, Sixteen's chef, says.

But despite Dostal's statement, sources tell Eater Chicago that being associated with the Trump name had caused the restaurant to see profits drop as much as 40 percent in recent months, hence the "reconcepting."

Dining rooms located inside Trump towers have been a topic of controversy since the 2016 election: Jean Georges in NYC was the site of a protest in January of 2017, while José Andrés famously shelved plans to open a location inside Trump's D.C. hotel. Meanwhile, Sushi Nakazawa, which is opening soon in a separate space inside the D.C. hotel, is already being called the city's "most polarizing restaurant." 

Correction: This article has been updated on 3/28/2018 to correct an error that stated Sushi Nakazawa took over a space originally intended to be occupied by José Andrés's restaurant inside Trump Hotel D.C.