28-Oct-17 – Nearly one in ten of the nation’s top-selling restaurants – that are not part of a chain – are located north of the Loop, according to a new ranking by a restaurant industry publication.

Restaurant Business has released its annual ranking, by gross 2016 food and beverage sales, of the Top 100 Independent Restaurants. Twelve are in the Chicago area, six are in River North, and three are in the Gold Coast.

Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse at 1028 North Rush Street in the Gold Coast neighborhood north of the Loop is the highest-grossing independent restaurant in Chicago and the tenth highest-grossing in the United States, with annual sales of $24.7 million.

Gibson Restaurant Group owns two other restaurants on the list. Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House, 1024 North Rush Street in the Gold Coast, is ranked 80th nationwide with annual sales of $14.26 million. And Quartino Ristorante, 626 North State Street in River North, is ranked 88th with annual sales of $13.79 million.

Other River North restaurants on the list include...

One other Gold Coast restaurant was on the list. Tavern On Rush, 1031 North Rush Street, ranked 93rd with annual sales of $13.4 million.

Restaurant Business says the restaurants in its Top 100 are as resilient as those belonging to larger chains with more than five locations.

“Just like the chains, independent restaurants faced major issues over the last year, making operating – and growing sales – increasingly difficult,” said Sara Rush Wirth (left), managing editor of Restaurant Business. “In the face of the tough labor market, competition for real estate, and a crowded market, these concepts still managed to survive and, in some cases, thrive, even as some other stalwarts were forced to close their doors.”

The top-grossing independent restaurant in the United States, according to the publication, is Tao Las Vegas, taking in $42.47 million last year.

Sales figures were either submitted by the restaurant or else estimated by Restaurant Business.