Prasino abruptly shuttered its Wicker Park restaurant Monday. DNAInfo reported the closing left 50 employees out of a job, and that a worker who answered the door claimed the closure wasn’t for financial reasons, but for “a partnership that broke up.” This comes four months after Prasino’s Rosemont location at the Fashion Outlets Chicago also closed, and 10 months after its Chipotle-style quick concept, Covo Gyro Market, also closed.
It should be noted that the original Prasino in La Grange remains open, and is not affiliated with either the Wicker Park or Rosemont locations. Peggy Maglaris, the restaurant’s co-founder, said it’s been under different ownership for nearly two years. (There’s also a Prasino in St. Joseph, Missouri, that’s run by the Wicker Park group.)
“I cried,” Maglaris said upon learning of Wicker Park’s closing. “This is my baby. It was my stepchild, and even though it wasn’t ours anymore, it was part of our dream.”
Maglaris said the La Grange restaurant — the only location under original ownership — is doing well, and that they’re working out logistics to honor gift certificates from Wicker Park. She said she’s trying to work out employment opportunities for the servers and cooks now out of a job.
Maglaris said: “What’s important is we’re here and we’re not going anywhere.”
kpang@tribune.com | Twitter @pang
