The Rundown: Billy Goat Tavern owner dies at 91
Good afternoon! It’s Friday, and I’m finally reading John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” this weekend — just in time for Netflix’s adaptation coming later this year. Here’s what you need to know today.
1. Sam ‘Cheezborger’ Sianis, legendary owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, died at 91
Mr. Sianis opened the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Michigan Avenue in 1964, three decades after his Uncle William “Billy Goat” Sianis opened its predecessor on West Madison Street, my colleague Mitch Dudek writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.
It was at this subterranean location on Lower Michigan that Mr. Sianis became famous for telling customers in his thick Greek accent, “Cheezborger, cheezborger, cheezborger. Cheeps, no fries, Coke, no Pepsi,” thanks to a 1978 Saturday Night Live skit that mimicked him.
“My dad was always a person who lit up the room when he walked in, always in a good mood,” said his son Bill Sianis, who, along with his brother Paul Sianis, have operated the family business since their father mostly retired about a decade ago.
Mr. Sianis’ uncle, William Sianis, was behind the legendary “Curse of the Billy Goat” that some believed plagued the Cubs for decades.
A goat had been William Sianis’ mascot since he found one outside his original bar, then named the Lincoln Tavern. It apparently had fallen off a truck and was injured. He took in and cared for the animal.
His customers got a kick out of it. So William Sianis, who lived above the bar — at the time at 1855 W. Madison St., where the United Center now stands — decided he’d keep at least one goat in a little pen behind the building. Not long after, he renamed the joint “Billy Goat Inn.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
2. Munetaka Murakami is teeing up business for the White Sox and Chicago companies
Rookie sensation Murakami is ushering in “Mune mania” throughout Chicago, creating opportunities for small businesses and the team, from Japanese-inspired hot dogs and rice lagers to custom jerseys, Chris Casacchia reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
“As soon as we signed him, we changed our thinking and moved our ticket sales targets up because we anticipated him bringing in more interest,” Sox chief revenue and marketing officer Brooks Boyer said.
Murakami, who signed a two-year, $34 million contract last year, is heading into this weekend’s three-game Crosstown Classic series with the Cubs with 15 home runs and is near the top of several other offensive categories.
On the South Side, the rising star is boosting Sox ticket, merchandise and concession sales. At the beginning of the season, the team introduced the Tonkatsu Dog, a Vienna Beef hot dog covered with Panko, Kewpie mayo, teriyaki sauce and Japanese bonito flakes. It’s a new crowd favorite, according to Boyer.
Meanwhile, Grandstand sells custom jerseys and fitted baseball caps at its store a few blocks from Rate Field. The retailer placed a big bet in November, ordering hundreds of Murakami gear, and has already had to restock inventory, including the top-selling custom-made, home pinstripe jersey with Japanese kanji font that costs $250. [Chicago Sun-Times]
3. Gangster Disciples founder Larry Hoover’s bid for freedom is now in Gov. JB Pritzker’s hands
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board held a clemency hearing for Hoover last month and confirmed this week its recommendations had been sent to Pritzker, my colleagues Frank Main, Tina Sfondeles and Tom Schuba report for the Chicago Sun-Times.
The board’s clemency recommendations are confidential. Under the law, the governor doesn’t have a deadline to review them. Hoover’s petition poses potential political costs and benefits for Pritzker as he seeks reelection this year and mulls a possible run for the presidency in 2028.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Church on the South Side, said he’s among Hoover’s supporters who have written to the prisoner review board and governor in favor of his release.
Pfleger said he doesn’t think the 75-year-old Hoover would be able to “come out here and solve the gang problem.” But he thinks Hoover is a changed person and “if he can influence one person or two people in their lives, that’s a win.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
After declining by about 65,000 during the pandemic, Chicago’s population has grown for a third straight year, according to new data released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Those new figures show Chicago with 2,731,585 residents in 2025, an increase of 5,253 residents compared to 2024. Chicago needs to grow by roughly another 16,700 residents to fully recover the population lost since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. It remains the third-largest city in the United States.
The Illinois community gaining the most people after Chicago was far west suburban Plainfield, with 1,218 new residents in 2025. Right behind Plainfield was Oswego, near Aurora, also in the far west suburbs, with 1,210 new people in 2025, according to the Census Bureau. [Chicago Sun-Times]
As Chicago prepares for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center on June 19, one mile south, artist Theaster Gates will launch two new hospitality concepts created with entrepreneur and longtime friend Heiji Choy Black.
Opening on June 5, Korean-inspired high tea salon Han Cha and Yunomi, a companion cocktail bar and lounge, are the latest addition to Gates’ nearly two-decade ambition to build a cultural corridor on the city’s South Side, arts contributor Elly Fishman reports.
Choy Black said she hopes the two new concepts will boost the South Side’s profile for dining and serve as “a welcoming gateway into the neighborhood.” The Obama Presidential Center will also have a fine-dining restaurant and cafes spearheaded by chef Cliff Rome.
What started in 2009 with a handful of rehabilitated buildings on Dorchester Avenue in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood has expanded into a constellation of properties owned by Gates. Nearby, the Arts Bank on 67th Street, which houses the Johnson Publishing library, has long hovered between a public and private site, operating with sporadic public hours and programming. [WBEZ]
Here’s what else is happening
- Harvey Weinstein’s third sex crimes trial ended in a mistrial. [NPR]
- The Eurovision Song Contest finale takes place tomorrow in Vienna. [AP]
- A veteran Chicago firefighter died after being injured during a training exercise in West Ridge. [Chicago Sun-Times]
- Ford City Mall, on Chicago’s Southwest Side, will close next month. [Block Club Chicago]
Oh, and one more thing …
A quick WBEZ programming update:
Starting tomorrow, my colleagues are excited to bring two new shows to the WBEZ weekend lineup: “Go Fact Yourself” on Saturdays at 1 p.m. and “This Old House Radio Hour” on Sundays at 2 p.m. Both programs are new to WBEZ — and to public radio. We look forward to sharing them with you!
You can learn more in the link. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
I just learned the restaurant that made Maxwell Street Polish sausage famous is moving, meaning there’s another famous Chicago spot I need to try ASAP. But that also has me wondering, what are your favorite places to get a hot dog in the Chicago area?
Lisa writes:
“I can’t believe Paradise Pup in Des Plaines hasn’t gotten a mention yet! Their char dog paired with their raspberry shake is one of my favorite summer lunch memories from back when my husband and I were dating over a decade ago. We live further west now, but if we ever find ourselves in the area, it’s worth the wait in line!”
Pam writes:
“Henry’s Hot Dogs in Cicero on Ogden Ave./ Route 66. Even the sign is worth the trip.”
And Rachel writes:
“It’s not the place to get a hot dog on a bun with all the fixins, but it IS the place to buy your hot dogs for your own barbecue: Romanian Kosher Sausage, still at Clark and Touhy and a kosher butcher institution since 1957. They have a variety of dogs to choose from, but the best is the Polish-style garlic hot dog.
Serve that on a poppyseed bun by S. Rosen's (kosher and no dairy!) with all the condiments and you’ve got the perfect Chicago hot dog.”
Thanks for all the responses this week! I couldn’t fit all of them in the newsletter, but it was great hearing from everyone.
Discussion in the ATmosphere