'Trying My Hardest': Orland Gaston's Bistro Owner Fights To Stay Open

ORLAND PARK, IL — The owner of a longtime Orland Park bistro doesn't want to close its doors, but he's beginning to fear it might be his only choice, and sooner than he'd like.

Yaser Elkayyal isn't sure what's behind the lack of customers he's seeing at Gaston's Bistro, 14438 John Humphrey Dr., but whatever it is, it's led to such a lull he's questioning the restaurant's future. It could be the economy, he said—everything costs more, and people are trying to be mindful of their spending. Maybe it's lack of awareness of what the bistro offers.

"In the last 23 years, the worst summer we’ve ever had," Elkayyal told Patch of the flagging business.

With the restaurant tucked in a strip mall on John Humphrey Drive, could it be location, he has wondered. Yet customers have found their way to him consistently over the years. Open since 2002, Gaston's has become known for its French-American cuisine, pastas and sandwiches. Elkayyal strives to keep ingredients fresh; dishes are made to order, pastas made by hand.

"I do everything fresh—it’s not a lie or a slogan," he said. "We’re known for our pastas, our entrées. Vegetables are cut fresh. ... I roast a whole turkey, skin it, carve it for the sandwiches."

He has tried not to cut corners, and fought to maintain quality and portion size, though admittedly adjusting prices in relation to ingredient costs.

"It’s so frustrating," he said. "I put my heart and soul into this stuff. I haven’t cut down on quality, I haven’t gotten cheap on the amount. I’m trying to keep everything the same. I don’t want to go to the cheaper ingredients."

The cost of ingredients has increased—he speaks of pre-pandemic chicken priced at 99 cents to $1.50 per pound, now up to $3.75 per pound—and how he struggles not to pass that increase down to the customer too drastically.

"You can only raise the price so much," he said. "You can only do so much without scaring the customer off. ... No one realizes that we take a big cut—when we raise our prices, it’s not to get rich, it’s just to balance it out. I raise the prices just to keep the sales the same, just to pay the bills."

In 2022, the bistro appeared on Food Network's "Restaurant: Impossible." Hosted by Robert Irvine, he visits a struggling or failing American restaurant with the goal of helping to restore it to profitability and prominence. It worked, Elkayyal said—business swelled in the months after, though even that was short-lived, he said. Business in 2023 seemed better, but it's been disheartening since.

"Saturday night, maybe two tables," he said, of last weekend. "It gets you thinking, is it you? Is it me, am I done? Is everyone over us? What am I doing wrong?"

He's doing everything he can to avoid closing—including not paying himself the last two months—but it is a reality that might be closer than he'd like. Owned by him and his brother Nader, he mulls if "mom and pop shops" like theirs can survive against larger names with bigger money behind them.

But in Orland Park this summer, two well-known names shuttered, both seemingly very abruptly. Chuck Lager's America Tavern—located in the former Granite City space—quietly and unexpectedly closed in late-June or early-July (an exact date isn't clear). Backed by celebrity chef Fabio Viviani, the Village of Orland Park had put in a place a 50/50 sales tax sharing agreement for sales tax revenue generated by the business, with the business' owners receiving a maximum of $500,000. The agreement would have been in place for 10 years. The restaurant opened in October 2022, lasting not even two years before its closing.

Buca di Beppo also closed last month, just ahead of the family-style Italian restaurant chain announcing it has filed for bankruptcy.

Chuy's Tex-Mex at 156th and LaGrange closed in 2023, after five years at that location. Petey's II also shuttered recently, with its owners retiring and selling the property.

Citing pandemic-related struggles, Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery closed in 2022 after five years in business. Traverso's Italian Restaurant closed in 2021, with Barraco's opening in the space in 2023.

Hot dog and burger chain Portillo's, though, will move into town with a drive-thru only location slated for the space formerly occupied by Denny’s, 20 Orland Square. With the current closest Portillo's at 159th and Harlem in Tinley Park, the Orland Park location offers a chance to spend locally, also adding to the chain's tally of 86 locations across the country, including 46 in the Chicago area.

But other, smaller restaurants like his are struggling, Elkayyal said, and he always knows when things are looking particularly bleak.

"I know when someone’s about to close," he said, "when I start getting employee applications coming in."

Gaston's has its regulars—devoted customers who have been coming for years. Breakfast fans who have their favorite dishes. Date nights that enjoy their BYOB option. But he needs them to keep coming—and he needs others to discover him for the first time.

"I love turning my first-timers into regulars," he said. "I’m not trying to toot my own horn. People say the food is awesome, they can taste the home cooking."

He's known for fresh seafood, his half-pound fresh Angus burgers. Fresh-slaughtered meat. Pasta made in-house. Homemade batter on his fried chicken. The heart and effort are there, he swears. Still, sales currently aren't tallying like those of a summer month.

"I’ve gotten numbers last month that were like blizzard numbers," he said. "That’s how scary it is.

"The last 4-5 months, I’m just pulling my hair. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong here, it’s driving me nuts."

He will keep trying, he said, but he's not sure how long the business can sustain.

"I’m going as hard as I can," Elkayyal said. "Hopefully stuff turns around, and we start picking back up again. I’ll take the hit—I don’t care—as long as I can get back to normal."

The stress of trying to stay afloat is weighing on him drastically, he said. He worries about failing his wife and four kids, ages 18, 15, 12 and 8.

"I do not want to close," he vows. "I love this. I love my community. ...We’re a staple, and I love it. I take pride in it."

He hopes his earnestness will inspire people to patronize the business that's powering ahead almost solely off of passion. He's not ready to close, not yet. But he might have to.

"Unless something changes, I don’t know what to do," he said. "I feel like I’m getting pushed to that."

Gaston's Bistro is located at 14438 John Humphrey Dr. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The full menu can be found online. They also offer catering. Patio seating is available. BYOB is encouraged, for $3 per person. Find and follow them on Facebook.