Sam ‘Cheezborger’ Sianis, legendary owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, dies at 91

Sam Sianis, legendary owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, died Friday from natural causes at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital. He was 91.

“My dad was always a person who lit up the room when he walked in, always in a good mood,” said Mr. Sianis’ son Bill Sianis, who, along with his brother Paul Sianis, has operated the family tavern since their father mostly retired about a decade ago.

“I think he became a part of Chicago because of how he was, a hard working person but also with a big heart,” Bill Sianis said.

Mr. Sianis opened the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Michigan Avenue in 1964, three decades after his Uncle William “Billy Goat” Sianis opened its predecessor on West Madison Street.

It was at this subterranean location on Lower Michigan that Mr. Sianis became famous for telling customers in his thick Greek accent: “Cheezborger, cheezborger, cheezborger. Cheeps, no fries, Coke, no Pepsi,” thanks to a 1978 Saturday Night Live skit that mimicked him.

This report was published in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times. For more, visit chicago.suntimes.com.