Bob’s Pizza, a downtown Evanston restaurant staple, closed its doors on Oct. 31. The news has drawn complaints from locals and raised questions about the integrity of the landlords who refused to renew Bob’s lease. The private investment firm, Pentwater Capital Management, which failed to renew the lease, only gave the employees at Bob’s 2 weeks’ notice of the closure, despite online real estate listings appearing as early as February.
This location was once home to Whiskey Thief Tavern, which closed in late 2020 due to COVID-19, allowing Bob’s to take its place at 616 Davis Street. Bob’s was especially beloved for its weekend hours, with the kitchen staying open until 1 a.m.
Over the past several years, downtown Evanston has had no shortage of closures. Other local favorites such as Reza’s Restaurant, Edzo’s Burger Shop and 5411 Empanadas have all experienced a similar fate over the past 12 months. The frequency of these closings has raised many questions about the cause of these shutdowns and their impact on the community.
“I’m really going to miss their pickle pizza,” said senior Eden Osborn, who ate with her family at Bob’s “every Friday after swim meets.”
Bob’s Pizza hosted a trivia night every Tuesday at 8 p.m., a popular activity among Evanstonians and Northwestern students alike. The event was put on by a Chicago-based entertainment company, Go 4 It Entertainment, which had a positive and long-standing relationship with the staff at Bob’s.
“I was actually surprised to hear that they were closing because we had such a successful night that I just assumed they were successful on other days,” said Gabe Ortiz, owner of Go 4 It Entertainment. “That was one of our best crowds out of all of our locations.”
The final Bob’s Pizza trivia night took place on Oct. 21 and proved emotional for some. The owners of Bob’s took part this time around, sporting the name “Pentwater Sucks.”
The final night of Bob’s trivia was historic, but Go 4 It said the closure will not end weekly trivia in Evanston. The trivia event has been moved a few blocks to Prairie Moon on the corner of Chicago and Church.
“I [tried] to find somewhere close to the previous location,” Ortiz said. “Prairie Moon was less than a block away and had the space and price point for our regulars, so it worked out perfectly.”
Though Bob’s Pizza has officially closed, its legacy continues through the community it brought together. From late-night slices to Tuesday Trivia, memories at 616 Davis St. will last well beyond the restaurant’s final night. For many regulars, the move to Prairie Moon is not an ending but a continuation of the tradition that began at Bob’s.
