Obituaries

Byron’s, Zephyr Owner Dies

Let us now pay tribute to a man whose name you didn’t know, but who almost certainly fed you if you lived on the north side: Byron Kouris. Born of Greek immigrant parents, in the mid-1960s he started a chain of sandwich shops called the Lunch Pail, but his best known restaurant chain started when he opened the first Byron’s Hot Dogs on Irving Park near Wrigley Field. He also opened an ice cream parlor with an art deco theme called Zephyr on Wilson near the Ravenswood train tracks, which enjoyed a 30-year run serving oversized sundaes and diner food until 2006. He died March 30 at 76, according to this Sun-Times obituary. His business was inducted into the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hall of Fame, and on the recommendation of Senator Dick Durbin, Byron’s dogs were served from a replica stand on the White House lawn for the 2010 congressional picnic. [Sun-Times]

Byron’s, Zephyr Owner Dies