CHICAGO – After 57 years in business, Jeri’s Grill has closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a very sad, sad decision,” said owner Frank Di Piero. “Tough day. Emotional day.”

Due to the pandemic, Jeri’s Grill, located for years at Montrose and Western, has closed its doors.

“On the same corner, 24 hours a day,” Di Piero said. “Pretty much looks the same. Not many things changed there and that’s the way people liked it.”

Di Piero’s father started the business and it was his heart and soul until he passed away 20 years ago.

Di Piero said he was already thinking about the future of the grill before the pandemic hit, but now it’s the “nail in the coffin.”

Even when restaurants are allowed to reopen their dining rooms, he couldn’t see a way that Jeri’s Grill would be able to adapt to social distancing and any limitations on the number of diners.

The news is hard to swallow for many loyal diners of Jeri’s.

“I can’t really talk about it cause I’m too sad. I put the star here,” customer Janelle Kean said. “It says, ‘grateful.'”

Di Piero said his customers are like family.

“I feel bad. I feel bad but my father always said eventually everything comes to an end and this was our end,” he said.

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