Barbecue Bummer: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Closing Chicago Location

Some surprising news today, as Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is closing their sole Chicago location. The Syracuse, N.Y.-based chain will shutter at 10 p.m. today, according to multiple sources. Staff was notified of the closure on Monday.

A spokeswoman for the restaurant chain confirmed the shutter. A host answering calls for the restaurant said the team was told it was a matter of not making enough money. Dinosaur arrived in Chicago in April 2015, opening near Lincoln Park across from Joe's on Weed Street. They began their outreach by appearing at the Windy City Smokeout barbecue festival even before they opened. There's now nine Dinosaurs open, all in the Eastern Time Zone, and it doesn't appear that they'll return to Chicago.

The news hit Chicago-area Syracuse University alumni hard, as they are already mourning the restaurant's loss. The chain released a statement attributed to founder and pitmaster John Stage and CEO Rene de la Garrigue:

"We want to thank everyone who has joined us at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Chicago over the past year. While we will be closing our outpost in Chicago this July, our team remains fully committed to serving our bar-b-que to all our loyal fans at our other nine locations throughout the Northeast."

American Barbecue Styles Explained in 2 Minutes