WEST LOOP — The landlord who owns the building occupied by Sawtooth Restaurant and Lounge will change the locks on the doors, officially closing the troubled business for good.
At a hearing this week, Judge Pamela Hughes Gillespie granted landlord George Lagios' request to change the locks on the building's doors at 1350 W. Randolph St. City attorneys said the request was made after Sawtooth owners failed to return keys to the landlord in the last two weeks.
After a shooting, a looming eviction and a legal battle with the city, owners announced earlier this week Sawtooth would close for good.
But Roger Romanelli, executive director of the Randolph Fulton Market Association, said he had doubts the business would close. Romanelli said Sawtooth owner Rana Mack failed to turn in keys to the property to the landlord as agreed.
"Our community has zero confidence in Ms. Mack's 'proclamation' that the business is leaving, and we are advising all residents and businesses to remain on high alert that Ms. Mack and associates may have more illegal nightclub activities at this site," Romanelli wrote to Liquor Control Commissioner Greg Steadman.
Mack could not be reached Thursday. The business was previously owned by Dzuy Dao, who continued to hold the liquor license for the business.
Carla Agostinelli, executive director of the West Loop Community Organization, said she continued to be "inundated" with calls from concerned residents after Mack said the business would close.
On Thursday, Agostinelli said that the West Loop group supported the city's move.
"While we are happy to help businesses thrive and navigate the red tape of government, we have no tolerance for those who break the rules and put their neighbors in harm's way," she said in a statement.
A representative for Lagios, the building's owner, said a deal to sell the building is pending. The rep declined to say who is buying the Randolph building Thursday, but said a restaurant would likely open in the space.
The closing comes after an early morning shooting March 28 near the club, 1350. W. Randolph St. A 29-year-old man was critically injured in the incident.
The troubled restaurant and lounge was also facing an eviction and city attempts to revoke its liquor license.
In a pending license discipline case, the city alleged violations against owners of the club included subterfuge, illegal expansion and a illegally operating a restaurant as a tavern.
In the last two years, two other shootings near Sawtooth have made headlines.
Around 1:25 a.m. Dec. 28, someone shot a 35-year-old man walking in the 1300 block of West Randolph Street and two men opened fire, striking him in his left thigh, according to police.
In March 2013, a 26-year-old man was shot in his leg in an early morning shooting outside Sawtooth. More than two dozen police cars responded to the shooting because of a fight that reportedly broke out about the same time.
Earlier this month, two men died and another man was wounded in shootings after a fight in Dolphin nightclub in Bucktown spilled into the street. The violent episode prompted the city to bring a new case to court in an attempt to close the club.
Two high-profile shootings near Funky Buddha Lounge in November prompted neighbors to call for the longtime River West bar to close. In February, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. said the bar was permanently closed.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
