Just months after opening in South Elgin, Legit Dogs & Ice will close Aug. 24
Mere months after opening in South Elgin, the owners of Legit Dogs & Ice announced on social media that the restaurant would close Aug. 24.
Located in a strip mall at 322 Randall Road, Legit offered elaborate gourmet hot dogs and burgers as well as Hawaiian shaved ice, served in a space with a punk rock and skateboarding sensibility that reflected the interests of owners Matthew Habib and his wife Jennifer Polit.
The walls were painted by graffiti artists. Multiple free video game stations occupied a large corner of the restaurant, which also offered a full bar and a stage for live music some nights.
The eatery recently hosted a show by Chicago punk band Sincere Engineer, veterans of both Riot Fest and Lollapalooza. The Queers and the Smoking Popes had also graced the small stage since the opening in March.
Habib told the Daily Herald in a story about the Sincere Engineer concert that they had an agreement with the village of South Elgin that limited the number of big-name shows.
While the owners said in the post that they “cannot go into great detail for specifics,” they suggested that the restaurant was having problems with the village.
“We have attempted to make every accommodation imaginable in order to satisfy any ongoing requests or demands from the municipality, at considerable expense,” they wrote.
This was a third life for Legit, which previously operated as a food truck and a brick-and-mortar location in Elgin.
In between, the couple opened and closed Red Poppy Bistro, first in Elgin and then in the same space Legit occupies. They also operated Rogue’s Corner, a steampunk-themed pizza restaurant that they closed after an auto accident left Habib unable to work for a period of time.
The post stated that this would be their last restaurant.
“This is the absolute end-of-the-road for us, regarding pursuing any type of restaurant or business,” they said. “It has been a long, strange journey, but that journey has come to its finality. We are proud of what we have built over the years. All we can do is say thank you to our supporters; you have always been amazing.”