Trump Tower Chicago Is Trying to Lure Restaurants by Ignoring the President’s Name

Chicago real estate agents are trying to lure new restaurants to vacant spaces inside Trump International Hotel and Tower by ignoring the president’s name in property listings. In one brochure, agents used a photograph that had the giant sign featuring the Trump name either digitally removed or from before 2014, when crews hung the sign. The news comes about a month since Sixteen, the fancy and acclaimed restaurant inside the tower, closed to reconcept in part due to sagging business.

Crain’s first reported how brokers have been struggling to fill vacancies recently intended for office tenants and have returned their hopes to the restaurant industry. Promo materials only refer to the building as “401 North Wabash Avenue.” The flier reads: “The perfect entertainment + dining destination” in offering 10,000- to 66,000-square-foot spaces.

RKF [Official listing]

Up on the 16th floor, Sixteen earned Michelin stars as one of the most luxurious and acclaimed restaurants in Chicago. But over the last year or so, former employees have said fewer customers were booking reservations despite critical success. They attributed that, in part, to the Trump name. He’s had a confrontational relationship with the city. Sixteen closed to make room for a new, more casual restaurant with lower prices. The new restaurant, which is to make better use of its terrace, should open later this month. Stay tuned to find out if more restaurants come to Trump Tower.

• Dump Trump? Tower’s broker shifts strategy—again [Crain’s]
• Trump Tower’s Two-Michelin-Starred Chicago Restaurant Sixteen To Close [Eater Chicago]
• Trump Blames ‘Thugs’ for Violence at Abandoned Chicago Rally [NBC News]
• More Details on Sixteen’s Replacement [Eater Chicago]