Why The Berghoff closed

It’s far less important than the distortions about WMD or not publishing the NSA scandal for a year, but another example of how The New York Times completely misses (or conceals) the true story was explained to me the other day.

The Times recently wrote about the demise of The Berghoff, a landmark Chicago restaurant where my father, like many of his generation, ate lunch for most of his business career. I didn’t get to The Berghoff before it closed, but I read the Times article with a huge sense of nostalgia.

According to the Times, the closing was a family decision, taken with regret. No details. But everyone in Chicago apparently knows the real reason. The Berghoff is on an immensely valuable downtown site. The building is landmarked and required to remain as a restaurant. However, close the restaurant, wait two or three years, and, hey presto, you can probably free the land to build an office tower and make a huge, huge financial killing.

3 thoughts on “Why The Berghoff closed

  1. Nolan Skipper Laframboise II

    I read of the closing. The article said the 28th of February was the date so I had planned a trip to Chicago before then solely to enjoy The Berghoff one last time. I was planning a whole day in there. It seems I’ve been passed by. I’m heartbroken – like losing a longtime lover and friend. Say it isn’t so. = N R Skipper Laframboise =

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