By GCT Reporter
In the heart of Chicago, beneath the bustling streets of Michigan Avenue, lies a subterranean institution that has fed journalists, cursed baseball teams, and inspired late-night comedy gold for nine decades. The Billy Goat Tavern, a proud emblem of Greek immigrant ingenuity, turned 90 in 2024 – the same year its longtime owner, Sam Sianis, celebrated his own 90th birthday.
It all began in 1934, during the depths of the Great Depression, when William "Billy Goat" Sianis, a young Greek immigrant from Tripoli, arrived in America with little more than ambition and a knack for publicity. He purchased the Lincoln Tavern near Chicago Stadium for a mere $205 – with a check that famously bounced, only to be covered by the weekend's roaring sales. Legend has it that a stray goat wandered in off a passing truck one day, limping and in need of care. Sianis nursed it back to health, grew a goatee to match, and rechristened both himself and the bar: the Billy Goat Tavern was born.
Sianis was a marketing genius in an era before social media. In 1944, with the Republican National Convention in town, he hung a sign: "No Republicans Allowed." The place packed with indignant GOP delegates demanding service. Classic Billy Goat.
But the tavern's true immortality came in 1945. A devoted Cubs fan, Sianis bought tickets to Game 4 of the World Series at Wrigley Field for himself and his pet goat, Murphy (a descendant of the original stray). Ushers turned them away, citing the goat's odor. Insulted, Sianis cursed the Cubs: "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more!" The team lost the series, and the infamous Curse of the Billy Goat haunted Chicago for 71 agonizing years – until the Cubs finally broke it in 2016.
After Billy's death in 1970, his nephew Sam Sianis took the reins, expanding the tavern while preserving its no-frills charm: "Cheezborger! Cheezborger! No fries, cheeps!" The gruff, efficient service caught the eye of Chicago comedians like John Belushi and Bill Murray. In 1978, Saturday Night Live immortalized it in the "Olympia Cafe" sketch – "Cheezborger! No Coke… Pepsi!" – turning a Greek-American dive into national pop culture.
Today, with locations across Chicago (including airports and near Wrigley), the Billy Goat remains a haven for simple, sizzling burgers flipped on a well-seasoned grill. Sam, now in his 90s, still embodies the spirit of his uncle: hardworking, humorous, and unapologetically Greek.
From a bounced check to a World Series curse, from newspaper ink to SNL laughs, the Billy Goat Tavern proves the American Dream – with a Greek twist – is alive and grilling. As they say: A cheezborger a day keeps the doctor away. Happy 90th to Sam and his timeless tavern. Opa! 🐐
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