Maijean Closing Jan. 1 Due to 'Unstable Economy'

For one Clarendon Hills restaurant, dinner service on New Year’s Eve won’t just be its last of 2011; it will be its last, period.

is closing Jan. 1 after serving French-inspired comfort food for more than four years at 30 S. Prospect Ave. The restaurant’s voicemail message system and Facebook page both say Saturday will be Maijean’s last day of service.

"We would like to thank you for your continued support and loyalty throughout these difficult economic times," a Tuesday Facebook message from Maijean to its customers reads. "It is with great sorrow and regret to inform you that we will be shutting our doors." 

An email to Patch from the restaurant said the closing is a “misfortune.”

“The only reason we have for our closing is … the unstable economy,” the email read.

On its final night, Maijean will serve a five-course New Year's dinner, complete with champagne, for $75 per person. (.)

According to Maijean’s website, executive chef and owner Nadia Tilkian opened the restaurant, named after Tilkian's grandmother, in 2007 to serve "skilfully crafted, affordable comfort food." 

"Maijean welcomes its guests with a gracious, sophisticated yet cozy atmosphere," the website's About Us page reads. "The unique Art Nouveau interior surrounds our guests in the atmosphere of a refined 1920s French Bistro while retaining the warmth and friendliness of a casual neighborhood restaurant."

In a Chicago Tribune article published online Wednesday, restaurant critic Phil Vettel wrote that Maijean had "a talented chef" and "an excellent front-room staff." He called the closing "head-shaking news."

"The world isn't always fair," Vettel wrote.

Customers with gift cards that cannot use them by Dec. 31 will be contacted by Maijean about how those can be redeemed.