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Read the press release here.

Schnitzel King to Close

By Casey Cora | April 15, 2014 8:00am
 Greg Burke, aka The Schnitzel King, tends to the grill at his lunch counter near U.S. Cellular Field.
Greg Burke, aka The Schnitzel King, tends to the grill at his lunch counter near U.S. Cellular Field.
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DNAinfo/Casey Cora

ARMOUR SQUARE — The Schnitzel King is dethroned for now.

Greg Burke and Kristin Casper, the pair behind the moniker, have announced end of their food truck and sandwich shop at 308 W. 33rd St. near U.S. Cellular Field.

Via Facebook, the pair said a number of factors led to the decision.  

“With the harsh food truck laws in Chicago, coupled with some kinks at our storefront location, we've been forced to close down our schnitzel operations here in Chicago,” he said.

The pair aimed to make their mark on the city's food scene with a sandwich counter and food truck serving breaded and fried pork and chicken schnitzel sandwiches, potato salads and a rotating selection of high-quality grill-roasted meats.

Burke and Casper teamed up with the operators of the Cupcakes for Courage food truck to sue the city in 2012, calling the city’s food truck laws — which outlaw parking within 200 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant and require GPS location tracking — exclusionary and a detriment to business.

Game of Food Trucks
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Illinois for Justice

The lawsuit, filed by the Institute for Justice on behalf of the food truck owners, was last year given the green light by a Cook County judge to proceed.

It’s led to the Institute’s production of a “Game of Thrones”-inspired video purporting to show the struggle of mobile food vendors setting up in clout-heavy Chicago.

Attorney Robert Frommer said Burke and Casper will continue as plaintiffs in the lawsuit despite the closure of their businesses.

“They’ve complained not only that [the laws] are hurting them going forward, but that they were injured in the past because they weren’t able to go places where their customers wanted them,” Frommer said.

On the Schnitzel King Facebook page, Burke and Casper say they’re “taking our schnitzel to greener pastures” and plan to serve food again soon.

Neither could immediately reached for comment.