![]() ![]() I was walking towards it when everything happened, and I was out looking for any staff that hadn’t arrived yet, that were maybe trying to catch a glimpse of the parade. It was a pretty chaotic scene because we were only about 250 feet away from the actual location, off the path of the parade route. ![]() Everybody was preparing for a high-energy day.Īfter everything happened, were you all sheltering in place at Michael’s? What was it like as the day went on? And we just wanted to, you know, be ready because everybody comes here afterwards, you know? The parade hasn’t happened for the last two years, so this was the first one back post-pandemic. We normally open at 11 a.m., but we were preparing to open at 10:30 because the parade had a 9:30 start time and an 11:00 finish. And preparing the restaurant to just open up. We were gearing up for our busiest day of the year, preparing for catering orders, preparing for offsite grilling that we do. It’s been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, that’s for sure.Ĭan you describe what the Fourth was like at Michael’s? I’m sure this has been a very difficult time for everyone. ![]() I spoke with Ryan Gamperl, who has been a co-owner of the restaurant since 2016, about grappling with tragedy and the difficulty of reopening. Having grown up in Highland Park, I’ve been going my entire life, and never miss a chance to visit when I’m back in town. After the shooting, the restaurant was forced to close until it was finally able to reopen this week. The restaurant - known for its char dogs, cheese fries, and endless salad bar - is a monument to Highland Park itself, plastered with photographs of residents and a mural of the suburban city’s historic sites. Since 1977, Michael’s has been a fixture of Highland Park, Illinois, the town just north of Chicago where seven people were killed and 30 were injured in a Fourth of July mass shooting. Photo: Courtesy of Michael’s Grill & Salad Bar Michael’s Grill and Salad Bar has been a mainstay since 1977. ![]()
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