Tasty City Seafood & Trio has closed after less than a year in business. The restaurant opened at 4233 W. Wabash in September 2018, although a “coming soon” sign had been posted months earlier.

“It was tough out there. That location wasn’t working for us,” said the owner, Leroy Singleton. He said the restaurant had very positive reviews online and he had received good feedback from customers, but couldn’t generate enough sales to justify staying open. “It was draining, and we decided to end this thing while we had a chance,” Singleton said.

Singleton said his family has been involved in the restaurant and bar business in the Chicago area for more than 40 years. While Tasty City was his first solo venture, he noted that he is being mentored by what he described as “a very successful large company” that he said he couldn’t name, due to a non-disclosure agreement.

Singleton hasn’t ruled out reopening in another location, although he said nothing has been finalized. “I was really tired when it ended, and a little sad. But I’ve gotten lots of responses from people who said they were heartbroken that we closed, and that got my juices pumping again.”

However, Singleton is also dealing with financial challenges related to the Tasty City venture. Evan Lloyd Associates, Inc. served as the project architect and filed suit in December against Singleton, seeking unpaid fees for services provided. On April 18, Evan Lloyd Associates was awarded a judgment in the sum of $11,555 plus court costs and fees. Singleton said, “I lost an investor at the beginning and it should have been handled with that investor. We’re working that out.”

“We may reboot this thing, but it would have to be the right location,” Singleton said.