Grace Officially Closes a Day After Kitchen Staff Walk Out

The speculation was right,in the wake of chef Curtis Duffy and GM Michael Muser’s departure,Grace— the three-Michelin-star restaurant in the West Loop — has closed. Much of the restaurant’s staff walked out on Tuesday, a day after Duffy’s exit; Muser had left on December 1. Their departures came after failed attempts from Duffy and Muser to buy the restaurant from the majority stakeholder.

On Wednesday, would-be customers told Eater Chicago that Grace called them on the same day to tell them that their Tuesday reservations had been cancelled: the kitchen was closed. The restaurant’s phone line was perpetually busy on Wednesday afternoon before going straight to the standard prerecorded greeting after 4 p.m.TheSun-Timesreceived a statementfrom the restaurant’s majority owner, real estate agent Michael Olszewski, who confirmed the shutter: “This space will live to see another day with yet another great restaurant headed by a new team that will make Chicago and the restaurant community proud.”

Unlike what was initially reported, Muser was the first to leave Grace, according to a spokeswoman, with Duffy departing on Monday. Muser and Duffy aren’t talking to the media, but they did tease a sequel to Grace in their statement released Wednesday. Reportedly, there’s a legal hurdle to clear to allow Duffy to open another restaurant. In the wake of the news, Duffy has been thanking friends for their support and expressing relief that he is no longer involved struggling for control in a difficult situation.

Marc Much

In this 2013 interview,a year after Grace opened, Muser said “the planets really have to be aligned” for a second restaurant. Duffy gave this answer: “We're never going to follow a trend, we're never going to open a ramen restaurant. When we start looking for a space and a location, when we feel it's time for us to grow, we're going to look at the neighborhood and let it speak to us for what we can do there.”

Chicago diners are still sorting out their feelings. The city now has only one three-starred Michelin restaurant — chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas’s Alinea. Attempts to reach Muser and Duffy still haven’t been successful, but check back for updates. Meanwhile, here’s a smattering of reactions via social media.

• Curtis Duffy Departs Three-Michelin-Starred Grace Restaurant[Eater Chicago]
• Michelin-rated Grace restaurant shuts down after founders quit[Sun-Times]
• Two Founders Quit Grace, an Acclaimed Chicago Restaurant[New York Times]
• Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser Talk About Grace's Award-Filled First Year[Eater Chicago]