MOUNT GREENWOOD — Magic Cafe & Grill has closed at 3335 W. 111th St. in Mount Greenwood.
Restaurant manager Angelo Mantzoukis blamed the closure on a recent rent increase.
Mantzoukis held a ribbon cutting at the longtime breakfast spot on Oct. 14. He said his rent began at $5,200 per month for the modest restaurant across the street from St. Christina Catholic Church. It then increased to $6,200 monthly.
"There is no way we can make it," he said Monday afternoon as crews cleaned and removed coffee machines and other restaurant equipment.
The original Magic Restaurant closed after a fire on May 21, 2012. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant reopened on Aug. 21, 2014, as Antonios Cafe & Restaurant.
Then owner Antonios "Tony" Foukas extensively renovated the burned restaurant, adding a see-through kitchen and asking customers to place their orders and pay their bill at the counter rather than rely on traditional waitstaff.
After Antonios closed, the latest incarnation was more of a throwback to Magic's roots as a breakfast restaurant. Mantzoukis said he built a loyal customer base, but there just wasn't enough business to make a profit when the rent increased.
"Thank you for the support from the people. They were good customers," he said.
The building owner could not be reached for comment.
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