SINGAPORE - Another food and beverage institution has bitten the dust.
This time, it is 29-year-old American-style restaurant and bar Dan Ryan's Chicago Grill at Tanglin Place, which quietly shut its one and only Singapore outlet on Jan 28.
In a brief Facebook post on Feb 1, the eatery said the decision to close "was not an easy one", and that it enjoyed the relationships with customers over the years. It also thanked customers for their loyalty.
The casual family-friendly restaurant is best known for its hearty portions of classic American fare including barbecued pork ribs, steak, burgers, and carrot cake. It was also a go-to venue for Super Bowl parties.
Dan Ryan's was started in 1989 in Hong Kong by a group of expatriates and opened in Singapore in 1992.
In 2006, its flagship outlet in Hong Kong's Pacific Place mall had to shut after 27 years of operation. Now, it has three outlets in Hong Kong.
In 2005, when The Sunday Times pit its ribs against those of another defunct American restaurant - Tony Roma's - those from Dan Ryan's won the battle. It garnered three stars each for food, ambience, and service.
The restaurant, which cost over $1 million to set up, was actually named after the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago. Dan Ryan was a prominent Chicago politician who became the Governor of Illinois in the 1950s.
Its design was a throwback to a 1940s bar and grill in Chicago, with vintage light fixtures, posters, a mural depicting Chicago nightlife, and an antique train circling above the bar.
