PORTAGE PARK — Gene's Sausage Shop & Delicatessen ended its 35-year run at 5330 W. Belmont Ave. last month, but its Lincoln Square location will remain open, its owner told DNAinfo Tuesday.
The meat markets were consolidated so that their eponymous founder, Gene Luszcz, could go into "semi-retirement," according to co-owner Derek Luszcz, Gene's son.
"My parents are both in good health and they've spent 44 years working hard at their stores, so they've decided to take a little time for themselves," Derek Luszcz said. They'll still put in occasional work at the Lincoln Square location, he said, which has stood at 4750 N. Lincoln Ave. since 2009.
Gene Luszcz and his brother John, both Polish immigrants, opened their deli at the corner of Roscoe Street and Laramie Avenue in 1972, according to the shop's website. Since then, the family has sold smoked meats and other delicacies to Poles and non-Poles alike on the city's Northwest Side.
"We want everyone to understand that our products have not changed, and our production has not changed," Derek Luszcz said. "We still make our sausages and artisanal meats the same way we always have ... it's just the location that's changed."
The lease to the space on Belmont was acquired by another grocer, Lusczc said, and renovations are being made in anticipation of an opening "within the next month."
The news was first reported by Nadig Newspapers
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