Michael Jordan's Restaurant
Michael Jordan's Restaurant was a restaurant and sports bar located at 500 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago , Illinois , United States .
After Michael Jordan , a former basketball player of the Chicago Bulls named the restaurant once one of the most popular tourist attractions in Chicago was. It operated from 1993 to 1999, closing shortly after Michael Jordan's second retirement from professional basketball.
Menu and attractions
Michael Jordan's Restaurant touted itself as "sporty and casual" with an American menu. The menu contained various dishes such as: B. Steak , sole , pasta , hamburgers , ribs , chicken , pork chops and salads , as well as "Juanita's Macaroni and Cheese", which was based on a recipe by Michael Jordan's wife, Juanita Jordan .
The restaurant was located in a three-story red brick building . A three-foot-high model of a basketball was installed on the roof of the building. At the entrance was a 9.1 by 9.1 meter banner showing Michael Jordan in a collage . On the first floor there was the sports bar, which offered space for 150 guests, a gift shop and a 1.80 m by 6.10 m screen. The sports bar also contained a large number of Michael Jordan memorabilia and fan items, including jerseys, trophies, shoes, photos, Sports Illustrated covers and portraits of the basketball star drawn by children. The 200-seat main dining room, which also featured a portrait of Jordan by Chicago artist Ed Pasche , was on the second floor. The Jordan family had their own private room on the second floor. According to the employees, this was visited by Jordan at least three times a week. A conference and banquet room was located on the third floor of the building.
Michael Jordan received mixed reactions from critics. Eleanor Lee Yates of the Fayetteville Observer said the restaurant was a "pleasant surprise" while Sandra Kallio of the Wisconsin State Journal praised it for "excellent cuisine, excellent staff and a relaxing atmosphere." Phil Vettel from the Chicago Tribune rated it as "mediocre".
history
Michael Jordan's Restaurant was the brainchild of Joe and Gene Silverberg, owners of the Bigsby & Kruthers clothing store . They acquired the rights to use Michael Jordan's name in 1990 and invested $ 6 million to make their idea a reality. Jordan himself never owned shares in the restaurant, although he said he had influence on the furnishings and the menu. He said he wanted this to be a place where he can take family and friends to dinner.
The restaurant opened on April 28, 1993. Guests at the opening ceremony included Illinois Governor Jim Edgar , Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley , actor Mickey Rooney and comedian Jackie Mason . In the first few months after opening, the restaurant had up to 1,500 guests and up to 7,000 phone calls per day. Many diners waited for hours to get a table as the restaurant wasn't taking reservations for dinner. Michael Jordan's Restaurant remained a popular tourist attraction during the 1990s and became an important hangout for Chicago Bulls fans during their team's participation in the NBA Championships.
The first argument between Jordan and the Silverbergs arose in 1996 when Jordan allegedly tried to transform the family-oriented restaurant into an upscale establishment. In 1997 Michael Jordan himself opened his own restaurant in Chicago, officially known as Sixtyblue ; At the same time, he has not visited the other restaurant since then, except for charity events. Jordan's eponymous restaurant continued to draw the crowds even though he was no longer there. After Jordan's second resignation, the Silverbergs announced that they would transform the place into a Sammy Sosas restaurant, a noted Chicago Cubs baseball player ; At the same time, they planned to reopen Michael Jordan's restaurant in a smaller building.
In October 1999, Jordan hired a federal judge to terminate his contract with the Silverbergs because he had not been adequately informed by the two of their plans to move. Jordan was also angry that the Silverbergs had told the press that he was not visiting the restaurant regularly as agreed. He stated that he was never obliged to do so and that it had damaged his image by the Silverbergs. In December 1999, the Silverbergs closed the restaurant for good, and in June 2000, Jordan obtained exclusive rights to use his name in Chicago restaurants. Sammy Sosa's restaurant was never opened because Sosa said he didn't want to "step on Michael Jordan".
Memorabilia from Michael Jordan's Restaurant were auctioned off in June 2000. 26 of these objects belonged to the private collection of the Silverbergs. A branch of Lalo's Mexican Restaurant was operated in the building until recently.
Individual evidence
- ^ Zay N. Smith: Jordan Shows He Really Is A Meal Ticket For the Bulls. In: Chicago Sun-Times . April 29, 1993.
- ^ A b Eleanor Lee Yates: Food A Pleasant Surprise. In: The Fayetteville Observer . July 28, 1993.
- ^ A b c Allan Johnson: Eating Like Mike. In: Chicago Tribune . April 29, 1993.
- ^ A b Eleanor Lee Yates: Dinner with Michael. In: The Fayetteville Observer . July 28, 1993.
- ^ Sandra Kallio: Michael Jordan's Restaurant Scores Points for Great Food. In: Wisconsin State Journal . July 11, 1993.
- ↑ Phil Vettel: Err Jordan: His Restaurant Shoots and Misses. In: Chicago Tribune . January 14, 1994.
- ^ A b Maureen O'Donnell: Jordan's restaurant closes. In: Chicago Sun-Times . December 28, 1999.
- ↑ Jordan in Restaurant Business. In: Rocky Mountain News . April 6, 1993.
- ^ Mary Cameron Frey: Pundit Stirs Things Up; Jordan Serves Things Up. In: Chicago Sun-Times . May 2, 1993.
- ^ Scott Ostler: Modern Museum of Mike. In: Peoria Journal Star . June 28, 1993.
- ↑ Jeff Call: At his restaurant, fans watch Jordan serve up a feast. In: The Deseret News . June 12, 1997.
- ↑ Mark Brown: Sosa's eatery to bump MJ's. In: Chicago Sun-Times . September 23, 1999.
- ^ Mark Brown: Ex-Bulls star in court against eatery owners. In: Chicago Sun-Times . October 27, 1999.
- ↑ Eric Krol: Jordan Wins Exclusive Rights to His Name. In: Daily Herald . June 9, 2000.
- ↑ Ellen Warren, Terry Armor: Sosa says he shelved restaurant because of Jordan. In: Chicago Tribune . March 21, 2001.
- ↑ Mark Brown: MJ leftovers to be auctioned. In: Chicago Sun-Times . June 2, 2000.
- ↑ Lalos.com ( Memento of the original dated August 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . (from October 28, 2007)
- ↑ Lalos.com ( Memento of the original dated February 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (from April 23, 2009)
