2 days ago
Legit Dogs owner says he's closing his biz next week, won't be opening another
Matt Habib, whose long history of opening and closing restaurants in the Elgin area dates back to 2016, will be hanging the 'out-of-business' sign for the last time on his latest venture next week.
Legit Dogs and Ice, located at 322 S. Randall Road in South Elgin, was the third incarnation of his fast casual, skate punk-themed food business. The first was a food truck that opened nine years ago and later became a bricks-and-mortar operation in downtown Elgin.
In between, he launched nearly a half dozen other ventures in Elgin and South Elgin, none of which were able to take root.
'It is with very heavy hearts that we are forced to announce we are closing Legit Dogs and Ice,' Habit posted Wednesday on the restaurant's Facebook page. 'Our last day of operations will be Aug. 24.'
He said in the post that he could not go into specific details as to why after just five months he was closing the business, which incorporated homemade food, music, arcade games and live events into its model.
Contacted Thursday, Habib said, 'We definitely will never be opening up another restaurant or business. We do not have the money or resources (and) sadly, we no longer have the drive or passion.
'This has been a long and draining journey; a street-fight every step of the way,' he said. 'It has been my experience that very rarely it's ever an even playing field for small, independent business owners compared to large corporations, franchises or established groups.
'Key players talk a big game about wanting to support the small guy, but when push-comes-to-shove, if the small fish in any way poses a risk (to) the big fish, the small fish is the one that gets spanked.'
Legit Dogs specialized in hot dogs with a variety of unique toppings, gourmet smash burgers, street tacos and Hawaiian shave ice. Old school arcade games that were free to play and retro pinball machines were set up for patrons' use.
The restaurant also has a stage and had been bringing in live music and comedians. When the South Elgin version of Legit Dogs and Ice debuted in March, well-known punk band Smoking Popes was its first scheduled act.
Former Q101 Chicago radio personality James VanOsdol hosted three episodes of his Car Con Carne podcast at Legit. On social media Wednesday, he said he planned to return for a 'final live throwdown' on Friday, Aug. 22.
When contacted Thursday, VanOsdol said the thing that makes the suburbs a no-go for a lot of Chicagoans is its strip-mall sameness and chain restaurants.
'Legit Dogs went against that model by being inclusive, fun and authentic,' he said. 'And yeah, the food was pretty great. I hate to see the restaurant go so quickly, but if we learned anything from our rock 'n' roll elders, it's better to burn out than fade away.'
Habib's history of opening and closing restaurants is well known locally.
Prior Legit Dogs in South Elgin, Habib ran a second incarnation of Red Poppy Bistro — originally located in downtown Elgin — at the location from late May 2024 through early October 2024.
Habib's first venture in the food business was when he opened Legit Dogs & Ice as a food truck in 2016. The following year, he moved into the basement of Dream Hall in downtown Elgin, where he operated from June 2017 to late 2019.
Habib and his wife, Jennifer Polit, ran Red Poppy Bistro from 2020 through part of 2022 at 109 E. HIghland Ave. in downtown Elgin. Next came Rogue's Corner, a steampunk-themed pizzeria that set up shop at the same Highland Avenue address from May 2023 through January 2024.
Rogue's closing came after the couple and their three children were involved in a car crash in Wisconsin in November 2023. At the time, chef and kitchen manager Jon Kiley was also in the process of scheduling cancer treatment.
Of his ups and downs, Habib said, 'People need to understand that lightning can strike more than once, and sometimes a string of horrible luck and adversary can happen and haunt you.
'Negative keyboard warriors can make conspiracy theories and accusations all day long. The internet is going to be the internet. We've always remained vocal and transparent about both our struggles and achievements because we are sharing our story as a learning tool.'
Habib said he and his wife, who has a full-time career outside the restaurant business, have always wanted to support other small businesses. At the end of the day, he said, he wanted to be sure he could look at himself and know he's done the best job he could do.
'Successes and failures are both equally educational,' he said. 'Allowing others to learn from our mistakes, trials, obstacles and achievements are all equally beneficial to our fellow man. We've been trying to keep our community informed while offering a blueprint of successes and hurdles we've had to navigate, in the hopes that new entrepreneurs can use that information to their advantage and respective success.'
