Cozy Corner Restaurant in Oak Park, a beloved breakfast staple in the community, is closing its doors this month after 65 years in business.
The decision was especially difficult because business has been booming for the restaurant.
"The restaurant right now is the most successful it's ever been in 65 years — hands down," said co-owner Peter Gerousis, 43. "But our landlord felt it would be fair to double our rent."
However, after rent disputes and having a deal for a new space fall through, co-owners Gerousis and Georgia Dravilas made the difficult decision to shut down the business.
They were reaching the end of their 30-year lease, and though they wanted to renew it, Gerousis said their landlord wanted to double the rent, from $8,500 to $17,000 a month, for their space at the corner of Marion and Lake Streets.
After chatting with other local business owners, Gerousis felt their landlord was taking advantage of them, and they began looking for a new location.
The landlord could not be reached for comment.
Dravilas and Gerousis thought they found the perfect location less than a block away, at 1122 Lake St., but after nearly six months of negotiations, the deal fell through.
"I've been going through the stages of grief, but I’ve been stuck at the anger stage for a bit," Gerousis said.
Dravilas' father bought the business in 1994, but when he was looking to retire in 2015, he made a private sale to a new owner, who eventually racked up $500,000 in unpaid taxes. Because it was a private sale, he owned 51% of the restaurant until the purchase loan was paid off.
The elder Dravilas took back the business in 2019 and shortly after handed it over to his daughter and Gerousis, who have known each other for over 25 years.
"It was an insane amount of debt that we came into," Gerousis said. "We didn't even realize what we were walking into but the twine started unraveling."
The co-owners worked with the authorities to get back on track financially, but the pandemic forced them to close the doors to indoor dining. They relied on carryout orders to stay afloat.
"There’s no way we would’ve been able to keep our doors open during COVID if it wasn’t for the support of everyone in the community," said Gerousis.
Dravilas, 44, said it was a difficult decision but is grateful for the community's support.
"The saddest part about this is the customers," Dravilas said. "We have a lot of customers that have been coming here for many years and now they’re bringing their grandchildren. I’ll miss the interactions with them. No matter in how bad of a mood I can be, seeing them always makes me feel better."
They said they'll be working on finding their employees other jobs and have already had some businesses reach out willing to take them on.
“The saddest part about [closing] is the customers,” Georgia Dravilas, co-owner of the Cozy Corner Restaurant, said. “We have a lot of customers that have been coming here for many years and now they’re bringing their grandchildren. I’ll miss the interactions with them. No matter in how bad of a mood I can be, seeing them always makes me feel better.”
Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times
Homero Duarte, who has worked as a server at Cozy Corner for 25 years, said he's sad to see it close but excited for the next chapter in his life.
"I'm grateful for the time I spent here," said Duarte. "They've treated me like family here. I'm not sure where I'm going next but I know I'll be OK. At the end of the day, all that matters are the memories I've made here."
Dravilas and Gerousis said despite the challenges they've faced, they aren't ruling out the possibility of reopening.
"We’ve had an insane amount of support from the community that we’ve caught a second wind and it’s given us some new motivation to maybe look into opening back up again and relocating," Gerousis said. "Nothing is certain but we’re not ruling out the possibility."
"We're too young to retire," Dravilas said.
Cozy Corner will close July 28.
