Sarkis Tashjian, Founder Of Sarkis Cafe, Dies At 86

EVANSTON, IL — Sarkis Tashjian, founder of Sarkis Cafe in Evanston, has died at the age of 86, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. In 1965, Tashjian founded the unpretentious diner on Gross Point Road near the intersection of Crawford Avenue and Central Street. The cause of death Sunday at Evanston Hospital was reported to be heart trouble.

Known for his good cheer, remembering legions of clients and greeting them with his customary, "I love you, buddy," Tashjian attracted generations of appreciative clients over three decades behind the counter, according to the Sun-Times. Longtime customers remembered him as a liberal dispenser of hugs who was as gracious to every guest as he was to such notable patrons as Jimmy Carter, Harold Ramis, Chris Kennedy or George Wendt.

Born in Jerusalem to survivors of the Armenian genocide and trained as a dentist, Tashjian operated a carpet cleaning business before buying the grill with little knowledge of cooking, his daughter told the Sun-Times.

“You have to get up every day and say, ‘I’m beautiful,'" Tashjian told the paper in 1987. "It’s all in your blood how you feel.’"

A visitation has been scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Donnellan Funeral Home in Skokie, with a funeral set for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. James Armenian Church in Evanston before burial at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, according to the Sun-Times.

The restaurant was featured as on of the "Top 10 Bangs for the Buck" by Zagat in 1997, according to the Sun-Times. Shortly after Sarkis Cafe was forced to closed for about six months due to code violations in June 2000, saying he had been treated unfairly, Tashjian sold the business, which continues to operate with the same menu. The subsequent owner died suddenly two years later, and the brand name "Sarkis" and the restaurant's menu became the subject of dismissed legal disputes (in state and federal court) involving the new ownership.

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