Tony Durpetti, owner of Chicago's iconic Gene & Georgetti steakhouse in River North, dies at 80
CHICAGO (CBS) — Tony Durpetti, the beloved owner of the iconic Chicago steakhouse Gene & Georgetti in River North, has died.
In a statement from the restaurant, Anthony Aldo Durpetti died earlier this week at the age of 80. Durpetti died surrounded by his family, and is survived by his wife, Marion, his daughter Michelle and his son-in-law Collin.
He lived with pulmonary fibrosis and Parkinson's disease for 15 years.
Durpetti was known to treat everyone "like a long-lost relative with a firm handshake, a double kiss, or a friendly joke."
On Saturday night at Gene & Georgetti, 500 N. Franklin St., it was a full house—with family, friends, and everyday customers. Some came to talk about Durpetti, while others heard the news and came by to snap a picture of the Gene & Georgetti sign and the purple bunting in his honor.
Meanwhile, the beat of the kitchen continued Saturday night at the corner of Franklin and Illinois—but this time without its owner.
For 82 years, Gene & Georgetti has served Chicagoans and many celebrities. Its cofounder was Durpetti's father-in-law, Gene Michelotti—who came to the U.S. from his native Lucca, Italy, at the age of 15. Michelotti soon met his business partner, Alfredo "Georgetti" Federighi, and they opened the steakhouse together in 1941.
Michelotti held down the bar as the man at the front of the house, while Federighi worked the kitchen, the restaurant said. Federighi died in 1969, and Michelotti took over as sole proprietor.
Also in 1969, Michelotti's daughter, Marion, married Durpetti—a born-and-bred Chicagoan whose family hailed from the Marche region of Italy, Durpetti's daughter, Michelle, wrote in a 2015 article for the National Italian American Foundation.
Durpetti had a long career in radio advertising—first working with the national radio advertising firm McGavern Guild radio, and rising to the rank of vice president of that company by the early 1980s, his daughter wrote. Durpetti started his own radio advertising company, Durpetti & Associates, in 1986, and the company soon grew to 12 offices nationwide and still unmatched sales records, his daughter wrote.
When Michelotti died in 1989, Tony and Marion Durpetti bought Gene & Georgetti from Michelotti's widow and Marion's mother, Ida, so that it would stay in the family, his daughter wrote. For the first seven years, Tony Durpetti did double duty managing the restaurant and his radio advertising company—but Durpetti then retired from radio after 30 years to focus on the restaurant full time.
Daughter Michelle promises to continue her father's legacy—though he leaves a hole in her heart and that of the community.
"I have heard from friends from grammar school, people that had worked with my father 30 years ago, customers that have reached out—everybody says the impression that he left, the love that he gave, the community that he created," she said, "so for us, the most beautiful part of this really sad time is sharing those memories."
Visitation will be held Thursday, Oct. 3, from 8 to 9 a.m. at Belmont Funeral Home at 7120 W. Belmont Ave. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. at Assumption Catholic Church at 323 W. Illinois Street. A reception for family and friends will immediately follow at the restaurant.
