West Town's Bella Notte moving to the suburbs, citing high crime and city red tape
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One of the city's oldest Italian restaurants is throwing in the towel, saying "ciao" to Chicago and moving to the suburbs.
Family-owned Bella Notte said city officials had turned a blind eye to growing problems in the neighborhood.
CBS 2's Andrew Ramos reports from West Town and spoke to the restaurant owners.
At its pinnacle, it was the place to be on the West Side of Chicago.
"When we first opened in 1995, it was Michael Jordan's heyday. We were jam-packed before a Bulls game. You couldn't even get in, said Bella Notte co-owner Ramon Aguirre.
From Jordan to Tyson, they've all stopped by. Those memories are part of a nearly 30-year history for the Aguirre family, who have made Bella Notte a destination.
The Italian restaurant, among the oldest in Chicago, is now packing up. It served its last meal earlier this month, and it's a decision Ramon Aguirre, who owns the restaurant with his father, did not take lightly.
"I've had employees that worked for me for 20-plus years. I feel like a failure to them," Aguirre said.
Citing an uptick of crime bundled with ongoing construction along Grand Avenue, which has made parking impossible, and mounting fines from the city for what he described as low-level trivial offenses at his restaurant, the family has decided to leave Chicago.
They're now heading to the suburbs.
"This is not the neighborhood it used to be. This neighborhood was safe. We don't see it getting better," Aguirre said.
He said the city has become a corporate haven and has turned its back on small businesses. It's a claim many businesses CBS 2 spoke to along Grand Avenue agreed with, where they feel issues like security aren't a priority.
None wanted to go on record with CBS 2 concerned over retaliation.
"They have gone away from family businesses in those family neighborhoods and have wanted to bring in corporate," Aguirre said.
As this chapter closes for the restaurant, the family is setting their eyes on a new beginning, somewhere unknown.
"There is something on the horizon for us," Aguirre said.
CBS 2 reached out to Alderman Daniel La Spata of the 1st Ward to get a response on the claims being made by Aguirre and other small business owners in the area about the deteriorating conditions in the neighborhood and how much of it they said is not being addressed.
His office declined to comment on the story.