Premise closes its doors

The facade at Premise. Credit: Lyle Bright

From Wikipedia:  A premise is a statement that an argument claims will induce or justify a conclusion.  In other words: a premise is an assumption that something is true.

Here’s a premise that I believe most will agree with: Premise and Andersonville just weren’t made for each other.  After opening just over four months ago, the Chicago Reader is reporting that Premise has closed for good and been sold to the LM Bistro restaurant group (Reader: Andersonville’s Premise sold and shuttered), who according to Eater Chicago reportedly plan to reopen the spot in mid-September under the name Brasserie 54, a French concept with a menu similar to their other restaurants, Brasserie by LM and Troquet.

Premise seemed to face an uphill battle from the get go, as many In Fine Spirits loyalists seemed confused at the need for the change and asked “if its not broke, why fix it?”  The start was so rocky, that the restaurant made some adjustments to the menu shortly after opening and even hired a new PR Agency, H2 Public Relations, mid summer that helped them get some positive press in the Reader and Sun Times.  But that wasn’t enough apparently, as Premise has shut their doors.

We hate to see any local business fail, but one has to raise an eyebrow at Premise chef Brian Runge’s quote in the Chicago Reader where he expressed his frustration in the closing after just four months and stated “We’ve beaten the neighborhood.”  I’m not sure what he meant by beating the neighborhood, but one would think a restaurant and it’s chef would want to win WITH the neighborhood, not be against it.  Maybe that was the problem all along.