MORGAN PARK — K. Gus Assimakopoulos walked into Nicky's Drive-Thru in Morgan Park for the final time on Tuesday.
The restaurant that boasted "The Best Gyro Anywhere" closed over the weekend. Assimakopoulos arrived at 11500 S. Western Ave. to strip down the walls and clean up whatever was left in the kitchen.
Assimakopoulos opened the Nicky's in 1994. He's closing the restaurant on doctor's orders. His physician says he needs a double hip replacement after a bad car accident in 2012 in Indiana.
"Like they say in the kitchen, put a fork in me. I'm done," he said.
Assimakopoulos says he's been working in pain for the past several months. Unsure of the timetable for his recovery, the restaurateur decided to walk away from the business — a decision cemented after a recent fall while working at Nicky's.
Once he's healed up, Assimakopoulos plans to sell insurance. It's a job he can do while seated. Though Assimakopoulos has no regrets after standing behind the counter at Nicky's for so many years.
"It's sad," Assimakopoulos said. "I knew all the good kids. I knew all the bad kids. Even the bad kids, they didn't have any problems with me."
About 100 loyal customers filled the tiny burger joint to say farewell on Saturday. Some bringing flowers, and all bringing well wishes to "Gus" and his wife, Helen. After all, she was behind the counter perhaps even more so than her husband.
"We had a party. People from the neighborhood came. It was nice," he said.
At one time, Assimakopoulos had two Nicky's restaurants. The second was in west suburban Berwyn. It was open from 2002-2007.
As workers scraped the menu off the window, Assimakopoulos said his son wasn't interested in taking over the business.
Nicky's seemed well placed to take advantage of traffic from the Morgan Park Sports Center. The ice rink and gymnastics center is expected to open later this summer across the street from the gyro stand.
But Assimakopoulos said he won't be around. He hopes another restaurateur takes his place. He hasn't heard of any other potential users, though some neighborhood residents have speculated that the property might make a good hockey pro shop or even a parking lot for the adjacent park district facility.
Regardless, Assimakopoulos wishes the best of luck to whomever takes over the property.
"It was a long time here," he said.
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