Wheeling's restaurant row to lose another stalwart
The phone at Don Roth's Blackhawk did not stop ringing Tuesday.
People calling with "say it ain't so" sentiments, calling to confirm holiday parties and others - including a woman from Arizona - hoping to secure a reservation before the landmark Wheeling restaurant closes at the end of the year.
"We've heard from a lot of wonderful friends," said owner Ann Roth, widow of the restaurant's namesake. Roth, who is nearing 90, told employees Monday afternoon that none of her children are in a position to take over the family restaurant, so it will serve its last signature prime rib and spin its last salad bowl on New Year's Eve.
"We'll stay open until the end of the year and then the property will be up for sale," Roth said. "If someone wants to buy it and put another restaurant here, fine. But it has never been our plan to let anyone else use the Blackhawk name."
Otto Roth, Don's father, opened the original Blackhawk on Wabash Street in Chicago's Loop in December 1920. The restaurant earned national attention as WGN broadcast Big Band performances from the club.
The music quieted in 1952 and Don Roth turned the focus on food, introducing the rolling roast beef cart and spinning salad bowl. Don Roth opened the Wheeling restaurant in 1969 and in 1985, when the original Blackhawk closed, moved much of the Big Band memorabilia to Wheeling.
General manager Bob Vorachek stressed Tuesday that the decision to close was not one brought on by economic conditions.
"Yes, our business is down a little bit, but this restaurant has weathered every economic downturn since the '20s, including the Great Depression," Vorachek said.
Still, he said, the building, a 150-year-old farm house, is in need of some repairs and that it's not a project Ann Roth is ready to take on at this point of her life.
The restaurant seats 125 diners and employs 36 people in the kitchen and dining room. Vorachek said.
"We have an excellent staff, there's such an esprit de corps here," Ann Roth said. "They've been so supportive (of my decision). I was made to feel so gratified."
With 39 years at Don Roth's Blackhawk under his belt, manager James Polanek is the most senior member of the staff. When he was a teenager living in Des Plaines, he started as a busboy and worked as waiter, cook, and bartender before taking over management of the eatery.
"I don't think the restaurant has evolved; fresh food and prime rib are so timeless," Polanek said. "It was a great idea to begin with, and it's a great idea now."