By The Beachwood Weird Old Chicago Is Dying Affairs Desk
“Since 1945, when William and Luvilla Armstrong opened Army & Lou’s on East 75th Street, the home-style eatery has catered to luminaries and regular folk alike in a way that made it more than just a soul food restaurant,” the Tribune reports. “It became known around the city (and beyond) as a cultural and political institution.
“On Sunday, the current owners of Army & Lou’s closed their doors in an attempt to buy time to attract new investors as they ride out a sluggish economy.”
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“Last Sunday, Army & Lou’s – renowned as much for its fried chicken and peach cobbler as for its famous clientele – became the latest to succumb to the economy and changing times,” the Sun-Times says in an editorial.
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No TIF funds available? No corporate subsidies to save jobs? Can’t Groupon spare something from its $3.5 million gift from the taxpayers just months before raising $950 million in venture capital?
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“Mayoral candidate and Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle [visited] the site of the just-closed landmark Chicago restaurant Army & Lou’s to call attention to disproportionate impact in this economic downturn on African-American business owners in the city.”
No other candidate did.
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Army & Lou’s Soul Food Macaroni and Cheese Recipe.
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Army & Lou’s website and Facebook page.
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As featured on Check, Please!
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Posted on February 7, 2011