Rumors

Update: Schwa Scare, Michael Carlson Not Leaving

Michael Carlson
Michael Carlson Photo: Helen Rosner

Update: We were just told by Schwa’s PR that claims that Carlson was in Los Angeles recently are not true, and that the restaurant is not closing.

Nothing is official, but Eater’s shocking claim that Schwa may close is enough reignite discussion about whether chef Michael Carlson will stay at his acclaimed Wicker Park spot. As most of you know, reports about the restaurant’s closing happen all the time. Once every other month, we receive some anonymous tip and have to e-mail Schwa’s PR to see if it is still open. Usually, we get the same response: “Schwa just occasionally does this.” This morning, we were told by Schwa’s PR that they get asked on “weekly basis if Schwa is closing,” and that they would definitely let us know if there was “anything to report.”

Carlson is notorious for randomly closing the restaurant, to the ire of people with the incredibly tough-to-get reservations. So, we’re not sure what we think about the fact that Eater cites “two separate and reliable sources” for the information. Eater has a great track record for these things and we don’t believe it’d simply post unless it had a good reason.

On one hand, closing the restaurant to impulsively move to California sounds exactly like something Carlson would do. But, then again, most of these scares turn out to be false. We’re holding out hope. We’ll keep you updated if we hear more.

Is Michael Carlson Closing Schwa and Moving to California? [Eater]

Update: Schwa Scare, Michael Carlson Not Leaving