Iron Chef Stephanie Izard To Lay Off Hundreds In Chicago

CHICAGO, IL — Hundreds of workers at Iron Chef Stephanie Izard’s restaurants in Chicago are set to lose their jobs later this month.

The companies that operate Izard’s Girl & The Goat, Duck Duck Goat and Little Goat Diner notified Illinois officials in July that each plan to lay off dozens of restaurant workers starting Sept. 20.

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According to notices filed with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, 96 employees at Little Goat Diner face permanent layoffs, along with 55 at Girl & The Goat and 42 at Duck Duck Goat. Each of the restaurants cited the coronavirus as the reason for laying off workers.

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Cabra Cevicheria, a Peruvian restaurant launched in April 2019 as a collaboration between Izard and the Boka Restaurant Group, is also set to lay off 85 workers, according to the notices.

All four restaurants are located in Chicago’s West Loop. Duck Duck Goat and Cabra operate out of Fulton Market, while Girl & The Goat and Little Goat Diner are both located in the 800 block of West Randolph Street.

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Under the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — better known as the WARN Act — companies must notify the state when they plan mass layoffs or closures.

The 278 employees from Izard’s restaurants are among more than 18,000 Illinois workers who were laid off, temporarily furloughed or notified of impending layoffs during July. In almost all cases, companies cited "COVID-19" as their reason for laying off workers.

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Boka Restaurant Group cofounder Kevin Boehm, who was also listed as the spokesperson for Izard’s restaurants, did not immediately respond Wednesday to Patch’s request for comment about the layoffs.