Not the news that lovers of hot dogs and Italian beef wanted to hear this week: The South Side institution Martino’s announced that it is saying sayonara to its brick-and-mortar (1215 W. Layton Ave.) on Dec. 19.
Owners TJ and Cathy Anderson posted the news Tuesday on their Facebook page, garnering 1,500 reactions, over 700 shares and hundreds of comments from fans reminiscing about their experiences there over the years.
“There are so many emotions that go with [closing] it. I think we have felt them all,” Cathy says. Her late mother-in-law, Mary Anderson, opened Martino’s in 1977 – 48 years is like 480 in restaurant years. Martino’s was a seasonal stand for its first six years, transitioning to its permanent brick-and-mortar in ’83.
Chicago-style hot dogs are their biggest claim to fame, followed by Italian beef. And there’s a lot more on the menu – dogs of different persuasions (chili cheese, bacon cheese, kraut, Reuben), Polish sausage, sloppy Joe, tuna melt, cheeseburger, Italian sausage, a meatball bomber, plus fish fry dinners, and spaghetti or mostaccioli with meatballs or sausage and sauce. Mary also brought her baking skills to Martino’s, making the spot known especially for her banana bread.
The Andersons are forthright about their reasons for closing – family, being the big one. In a few months’ time, the couple will be grandparents. They’re ready for a shift. Since the closing news broke, they haven’t had much time to think beyond the day-to-day, Cathy says, because the restaurant has been so busy. “We’re trying to regroup right now, because the house has been full from the moment we open to the moment we close,” she says. And “We’ve been missing my husband’s mom a lot,” she adds.
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To keep up with the demand – and avoid overwhelming the staff – they may start “taking things off [the menu] that are not as popular, and go back to the things people really love and are coming in for so that we can serve people faster,” she says.
A couple of statements have given Martino’s fans hope that this isn’t really the end. Like this, from their website, “While our restaurant will no longer operate in its current form, we are exploring new opportunities and remain hopeful for what the future may bring.”
But Cathy says they’re not ready to elaborate. “Our focus right now is to get through the next six or seven weeks, make sure our staff is good and the restaurant’s taken care of and put to bed, and then we need some time to decompress.”
While the Andersons sold the building, they didn’t sell the business. “We really don’t have anything to announce right now, but there’s definitely lots of opportunities.”
