After 10 years in Oak Park, the local location of Cosi restaurant shut down on Monday. The property’s owner, Anthony Shaker, had a deal lined up to bring in a 1950s-themed burger chain to take its place, but it appears to have come apart.
Shaker announced in an e-mail today that he had signed a letter of intent and negotiated a lease for Johnny Rockets to take over the space at 1101 Lake. However, he said, the “parties jointly agreed not to move forward,” and he’ll put the space back on the market on Monday.
He said he expects to announce a replacement for Cosi soon, but declined to comment further.
Shaker first announced back in November that Deerfield, Ill.-based Cosi — with more than 100 locations in 16 states — didn’t want to renew its lease, which expires at the end of this month. Johnny Rockets had planned to split the space with another eatery called Halsted Street Deli, similar to another location at State and Lake streets in Chicago.
