Chicago Heights Enzo's restaurant closes after over 75 years in business
CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (WLS) -- A beloved restaurant closed its doors for the last time Saturday in the south suburbs.
It was a sad day for many across Chicago heights who said they've grown up with Enzo's.
The restaurant, located at 1710 Chicago Road in Chicago Heights, shut its doors early before reaching closing time as they ran out of food with all the people coming by for one last meal.
It's been through a lot of changes, but it's always been a staple in our community.
More than 75 years since the doors opened, Enzo's in Chicago Heights served up its last order ever.
The family-owned restaurant, spanning across generations, has decided to shut down, marking the end of an era.
"Everybody knows Enzo's, it's always been here," longtime customer Linda Anderson said. "It's been through a lot of changes, but it's always been a staple in our community."
Enzo opened the restaurant back in 1946 after serving in the military for a number of years.
Enzo himself returned to the restaurant Saturday after the final order was served, on what he said is a sad day.
"Yes very much so," he said. "I spent my life building Enzo's. I'm old now, but I was young when we started across the street."
His grandson, Kyle Hallberg, has been handling the business for the last 13 years.
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"I bought it from him with my mother and father in 2011, so it's been 13 years of us running it," Hallberg said. "So I spent my entire life here, and we're ready to move on to the next chapter."
Hallberg and the family now hold onto decades of memories there, as he said the restaurant has just become too expensive to operate in Chicago Heights.
"We're being overtaxed, and not enough people are sticking around to foot that bill," Hallberg said. "And if we don't see changes here in the south suburbs soon, there's gonna be more of that coming."
Customers poured in all weekend at Enzo's to get their last beef or sausage, showing just how much of an impact the restaurant left on the community.
"I hate to see them go, because they have very good food, and I just spent $100 on what I just bought," Chicago Heights resident Jaime Garcia said. "It's worth it."
It was a bittersweet ending for a family with generations of history in Chicago Heights.
"It's sad. It's a staple of the community," Sheri Minkema said. "People have been coming here for years. We drove out everyday from Indiana just to get our last week's fix... sad to see it go."
The owner said they will not be moving the location to another area, but they will be participating in festivals and popups a couple of times a year.
