Joliet city officials did not revoke any licenses or permits for Anthony’s Restaurant and Pub, which announced its permanent closure less than a week after a nearby fatal shooting.

On Saturday, owners of the restaurant at 3151 Voyager Lane announced on Facebook that “tonight will be our final night serving the Joliet community.”

The announcement was made less than a week after the fatal shooting of Aaron Lee Vidales Jr., 31, of Joliet, at a parking lot next to the establishment.

CBS 2 Chicago reported Vidales was at Anthony’s before the incident.

During the same weekend, officers responded to an incident where a security guard at Anthony’s was struck in the face and bit during an altercation with two patrons, police said.

Sydney Thompson, the city’s spokeswoman, said on Monday the city did not revoke any licenses or permits associated with Anthony’s Restaurant & Pub.

“Following recent events at the establishment, the city and the owners of Anthony’s reached an agreement for the restaurant to cease operations daily by 11 p.m.,” Thompson said.

Anthony’s owners “subsequently made the independent decision to close the restaurant permanently,” Thompson said.

The restaurant’s website once listed its closing time at 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

In 2017, the city had reached an agreement with Anthony’s that involved them closing at 2 a.m. with no entertainment on weekend nights.

In April 2019, Anthony’s was given a Class H liquor license, allowing them to remain open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to Thompson.

The battery incident involving the patrons and Vidales’ fatal shooting occurred some time after 1:30 a.m. on May 2 and May 3, respectively.

In response to Vidales’ shooting, the restaurant issued a statement saying they were “heartbroken by what happened near our business” that night.

Troubled history

Since Jan. 1, 2017, there have been about 908 calls to the business for police services and the majority of the calls appear to be disturbances, according to Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English.

Anthony’s Restaurant and Pub is owned by a company called Samy’s Lounge, according to state business records.

Samy’s Lounge is the name of the previous restaurant at the same Voyager Lane location, which also had a history of trouble.

Sebastos Hohlastos is listed as the president of Samy’s Lounge.

In May 2012, Samy’s liquor license was suspended for two nights because of an underage drinking incident. In the same year, Samy’s lost its permit to stage live entertainment and stay open extra hours while also being fined $1,000 by the city for a number of violations.

After Samy’s closed, the location was next used for Anthony’s Restaurant and Pub, which was owned and managed by Hohlastos’ son, Anthony Hohlastos.

In 2014, the city approved a liquor license for Anthony’s Restaurant and Pub.

Then-Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton recommended close monitoring of the license because of close to 200 calls for police services at the location since 2010, according to city records.

The calls ranged from shots fired to disturbances and fights.

In 2017, city officials said police had 132 calls for service to Anthony’s Restaurant and Pub in three years and two of those calls regarded shootings.

In the same year, city officials announced former Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk signed an agreement requiring Anthony’s to stop staging live entertainment and close at 2 a.m. on weekends.

In 2020, Rayel Flores filed a lawsuit that claimed Anthony’s staff failed to protect him from Juan Acosta, a Joliet police officer who was off-duty during an altercation between the two men. The case was dismissed in 2024 pursuant to a settlement.