CHICAGO — L'Patron, a popular Logan Square taqueria, has closed its original location.
The taco joint at 2815 W. Diversey Ave. surprised customers when it announced earlier this month that it would open a second location at 3749 W. Fullerton Ave.
The owners said they had been planning to open the Fullerton location next year after rehabbing the building, but a rent increase at the Diversey location — from $3,000 to $6,000 per month starting next year — sped up those plans.
The owners said they were "undecided" about keeping the first location, nothing that the rent increase would mean prices or tacos would have to jump from $2.50 to $4. But on Thursday they put up a sign announcing the Diversey L'Patron had been closed.
“It’s kind of sad because you put a lot of work into it. At the beginning it was a lot of personal time that went in there, my brother and I,” said owner Ernesto Gonzalez. “I guess you could call them humble beginnings, right? ... It was a lot of late nights making sure certain things were fixed, and it’s kind of sad just ot see it all go away. But it is what it is. Sometimes you gotta move forward.”
L'Patron had just a month left on its lease, Gonzalez said, and they decided to use this time to clean out the restaurant.
It was a difficult decision, Gonzalez said, but in the end the new rent was too high for L'Patron. The brothers would have been "working for the landlord" to pay rent instead of working for themselves, Gonzalez said.
Fans of the taqueria can still get tacos at the Fullerton location. It is open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. every day but Tuesdays.
Because L'Patron had to "rush" into its new location, the owners are still working out the kinks, Gonzalez said. He is making sure the quality of the food is consistent and everything is working as it should be.
“It’s basically like anybody moving into a new house. You’re still trying to figure out what goes where and what looks better where, what works well where,” Gonzalez said. But “it’s pretty busy. It’s doing what it’s supposed to do. We’re just trying to make sure all the guests are happy.”
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