1 week Ago By The Editorial Board
Billy Lawless, who died Friday at the age of 73 and who will be eulogized Thursday, was an Irish immigrant to Chicago who became one of this city’s most successful restaurateurs, developing such eateries as The Gage on South Michigan Avenue, The Dawson at the tricky corner of Grand and Milwaukee avenues and Halsted Street, and Coda di Volpe in the now-booming Southport corridor in the Lakeview neighborhood on the North Side. Lawless was a huge personality, the enigmatic leader of the Irish American community in Chicago and an advocate for Irish immigrants, documented or otherwise; his death made big news in Ireland. Former Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny had even nominated Lawless to the Irish Senate, Seanad Eireann, in 2016, making him the first Irish American senator specifically for the Irish American diaspora.
Lawless also had a close and mutually beneficial relationship with former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. When Millennium Park was being developing two decades ago, Daley knew that proximity to its borders would be good for restaurateurs and, of course, Daley also wanted to be able to say that the park had served as an economic catalyst for development beyond the park itself.
He tipped off Lawless and made sure his path was smoothed. The result was The Gage, a hugely successful restaurant that later encouraged a lot of further action on the west side of Michigan Avenue, south of the Chicago River. You could say the same for many of the Lawless projects.
The Dawson helped transform an industrial corridor and is soon to be the neighbor of Chicago’s new casino. The success of Coda di Volpe sparked the redevelopment of an old bar and bowling alley across the street into a Boca Restaurant Group project that features three restaurants, including the Little Goat diner, a chicken joint and high-end sushi. Chicago was good to Lawless and Lawless was good to Chicago.
That makes a striking contrast to some recent detailed Tribune reporting that looked in detail at why some Chicago eateries were closing down. It’s hardly breaking news, of course, that restaurants are fragile businesses that face myriad obstacles wherever and whenever they open, and thus often fail. But it’s also worth noting, as did this story, that the industry’s hurdles have built up in recent weeks and months in Chicago, ranging from issues with liquor licenses and other city red tape to mandated minimum wage hikes for tipped employees to new streetscapes eliminating convenient street parking on such neighborhood thoroughfares as the 4900 block of Lincoln Avenue, where at least two food-related businesses have howled in protest.
Restaurants also make for very hard work; those that run them need a lot of fortitude and support. As the success of the TV show “The Bear” made clear, locally owned restaurants are part of this city’s lifeblood. They’re a reason people want to visit, move and live here, a way for Chicago to compete with entertainment industries that will always be centered on the East and West coasts, and a crucial part of the economic development puzzle.
For example, it’s hard to imagine any viable plan to revive North Michigan Avenue without a much greater presence of eateries on the Magnificent Mile. And just look at the success of the Bronzeville Winery, an establishment with a declared intent of celebrating that neighborhood’s storied history, as “refined by modern revitalization.” Last time we were there, the place was packed.
Editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis on restaurants’ struggles in Chicago for Wed, Nov 13, 2024. (Scott Stantis/For the Chicago Tribune) If you are headed to a show this coming holiday season in the Loop and are looking for a late-night bite or drink, you’ll find most places closed or screaming “last call” in your ear. But succor generally can be found at The Dearborn, an upscale restaurant owned and operated by Amy and Clodagh Lawless, Billy Lawless’ daughters.
Like their brother Billy Lawless Jr., the sisters learned their trade at The Irish Oak, once their father’s Wrigleyville bar, and have now spun their own success, adding to the vitality of downtown Chicago. Most of their staff, who clearly are well-treated, has been there for years.
Billy Lawless didn’t just build relationships and restaurants but he passed on his skills to the next generation and fought for other immigrants. This city should be grateful for this remarkable man from Galway and find other ways to help those who want to follow in his hospitable footsteps. And they should not have to be Irish to benefit, either.
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