AVONDALE — Lost Lake, the popular tropical cocktail bar on the Logan Square/Avondale border, will close next week.
Lost Lake’s owners made the announcement Friday on Instagram, writing that the COVID-19 pandemic had forced the closure of the bar at 3154 W. Diversey Ave. The recent surge in cases was the death knell for the bar, they wrote.
The bar will officially close after Jan. 15. Fans can grab to-go cocktails this weekend and stop by for in-person service 5 p.m.-midnight Jan. 13-15.
“We’ve been trying to ward off this moment since #flattenthecurve, but as it turns out, a super-spreader surge that wiped-out what would usually be our busiest time of year was the last little straw this camel could handle,” the owners wrote on Instagram.
The bar will celebrate its seventh anniversary Jan. 13 and close after that weekend.
“Maybe someday we’ll be back in one form or another, but it looks like this is it for now,” the owners wrote. “Thank you so much for all the support, from our very first day until this one. You’ve made a lot of dreams come true over here.”
Lost Lake has been a popular spot in Logan Square for years, known for its fruity, tropical cocktails — including drinks with bananas carved to look like dolphins — and island decor.
But the spot has struggled during the pandemic. It had to close down when other bars did during spring 2020, laying off all employees while urging patrons to tip workers online.
Owner Shelby Allison focused on selling cocktail kits and to-go drinks and food, while also providing Lost Lake at Home, a subscription program for regulars. She paid half of the health insurance premiums for her staff despite up-and-down sales and said she was trying to juggle her desire to take care of her workers with everyone’s concerns about in-person service during the pandemic.
The bar reopened for the first time since the pandemic in September with an outdoor patio and new menus, hoping that could boost business after the long closure. The staff asked customers to provide proof of vaccination months before it was required by the city.
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