LAKEVIEW — Nicolas George opened The Belmont Cafe a year ago with big dreams of an adjacent bar and a commuter-friendly to-go window.
But George won't be there if the changes come to fruition; he's slated to sell the business on Tuesday, and The Belmont Cafe will be closed.
The restaurant had already been gutted Monday, with the bright red chairs and wall hangings gone. George said he didn't know whether the group that purchased the restaurant would keep the name or the diner menu going forward.
"That's completely up to them," George said, declining to name the buyer before the deal was finalized.
The empty insides of The Belmont Cafe, which closed as its owner sold the business Monday. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]
While he hadn't been looking to sell, George said he didn't want to pass up the opportunity when the purchasing group made him an offer.
"Having a restaurant, you have to be there 24/7," the first-time restaurant owner said. "This frees me up to go pursue some things I've wanted to do, but not been able to.
"You get married to this place, with all the hours we're open."
The Belmont Cafe opened at the end of June 2015, replacing Clarke's on Belmont. Clarke's, a chain of 24-hour diners, got its start in the 1980s and was at 928-930 W. Belmont Ave. for more than a decade before closing last year.
EARLIER: Clarke's Closed For Good — Not Just For Painting — Alderman's Office Says
Dark for months, the diner was supposedly "closed for painting" in April of last year but never reopened.
Within months, the Lincoln Park location closed as well — initially just for remodeling and to go "fishing" — and eventually became The Biograph Diner.
In Hyde Park, Nando's Peri-Peri appears poised to replace Clarke's at the University of Chicago after the diner was evicted, leaving two Clarke's locations in Rogers Park and Evanston.
RELATED: Nando's Peri-Peri Pulls Permits To Replace Clarke's In Hyde Park
George, who started working in the food industry as a teen before becoming the general manager at Clarke's on Belmont, scooped up the Lakeview spot after it officially shut down.
He said he feels the restaurant's new owners won't have a problem getting a good crowd of customers, largely thanks to the bustling Belmont "L" station nearby.
Still, George said they'll need to be wary of the bevy of competition along Belmont Avenue, from old favorites like Blaze Pizza and Cheesie's to newcomers Ramenster and Aloha Poke Co.
"People seem to be leaning more toward the fast casual than the sit-down (restaurant) a little more now than they used to be," George said. "But if you walk by that train, you see how many people go by every day."
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