Add Rick Bayless’ name to the growing list of high-profile chefs and restaurateurs recently forced to shutter restaurants in this challenging industry climate.
Bayless announced the closure of Fonda Frontera on Sunday on the restaurant’s Facebook page. The restaurant, in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, opened in 2014 as Xoco Bistro. But it rebranded two years later after struggling to grab weekday traffic. The new concept focused on the cuisine of Mexico City, with wood-fired dishes and a weekend brunch.
"We evolved our Wicker Park restaurant several times over the past three years in earnest attempts to give the neighborhood a great experience,” Bayless said in a statement. “While it hurts to shutter Fonda Frontera, we're excited about some other fun projects in the pipeline."
It’s the first time Bayless has closed a stand-alone restaurant in Chicago.
If the TV chef is looking to commiserate with his peers about the shutter, he’s got good company.
Food Network star Bobby Flay closed his 13-year-old Bar Americain in New York City last week after announcing in October that he could not afford the cost of a new lease and necessary renovations.
Earlier this month, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group announced it would close Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant GreenRiver by the end of January. USHG did not give a reason for closing the restaurant, which opened in 2015 atop an outpatient pavilion of Northwestern Medicine.
And New Year’s Eve marked the last call for Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar, the 16,000-square-foot Times Square restaurant from TV chef Guy Fieri, which consistently ranked among the country’s top-grossing independent restaurants.
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