Rumors of Cafe Amano's Death Greatly Exaggerated

Have you heard the latest rumor being spread around Elmhurst? That Café Amano is set to close on Good Friday? It has some customers ready to drop hundreds of dollars to freeze the restaurant’s food.

Marco Conte, owner and chef at Café Amano, said rumors of the restaurant’s death have been more than greatly exaggerated; they are completely untrue.

“We have private events booked up until April 2014, we are not going anywhere,” Conte said Wednesday morning.

The rumor began circulating a few weeks ago, Conte said. Since that time, he’s had customers calling and coming in to the restaurant asking about it.

“I have catered a few parties where people came up to me offering condolences. I have told them basically we are not closing, it’s a rumor,” he said. He’s asked his customers to help him put a stop to it.

The rumor is that Café Amano is set to close on Good Friday, but the restaurant, which is going into its ninth year in business, is still very much open and will continue to be. For starters, brunch on Easter Sunday is full.

“We don’t know exactly where the rumor started—we have a few ideas—but it’s malicious. A rumor like that spreads like wildfire,” Conte said.

Rumors are part of the business, and he’s heard them before about other local restaurants in the area, but this one has gotten out of hand, he said.

The restaurant has a lot of loyal customers who were concerned, he said.

“I had a lady come in and ... she actually ordered $300 in food,” Conte said. “I went to ask why, and she said, 'Well, I want to freeze it because you are closing.' ”

The number of people contacting the restaurant about the rumor is fairly extensive, he said.

“I catered a party Friday night, and about 10 different people came up and asked about it,” he said.

Conte isn’t sure why this rumor took root, but he hopes to dispel it.

“We are in business. Business is very good for us. Our party business is incredible. We will be there,” he said. “Hopefully we can put this rumor to rest. This one is just out of hand.”