Happy Gillis at 549 Gillis St. has remained closed since July 4. | Photo by Julia Williams

Julia Williams

Editor-in-Chief

Since the weekend of July 4, locks, gates and metal bars have secured the windows and doors to a regular staple and hangout for Columbus Park residents, leaving many wondering if this eatery will open its doors again. 

Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout at 549 Gillis St. opened in 2008 and has seen a slew of owners, customers and menu items in its 17 years in operation. However, over Fourth of July weekend this year, the business announced it would close temporarily due to air conditioning-related challenges. 

In a social media post on July 12,  they wrote, “Work is still going on to provide a cool and comfy spot to enjoy food, conversation and our community. We look forward to seeing you all soon.”

Now, nearly eight weeks later, Happy Gillis has remained closed, and with no public updates in the last month, this has left many community members with concerns and questions as to whether or not this closure is temporary. 

“The longer it’s closed, the more we lose hope; the less we hear from anyone, the more we lose hope,” Columbus Park Neighborhood Association President Kathy Valenti said in an interview. “That corner historically means a lot to the community.”

While publicly it was announced this closure was due to an air conditioning outage, Valenti shared that the owner of Happy Gillis has not made efforts to communicate with the Columbus Park neighborhood to neither confirm or deny the accuracy of this information. 

“There was a rumble about the air conditioning not working, I can’t confirm any of it, that’s just what I heard,” Valenti said. “I don’t know the owner, they’ve never come to any community meeting we’ve held.”

The Northeast News spoke with a few Happy Gillis employees who shared some additional information on the business and factors, which have contributed to this closure. 

While employees confirmed the air conditioning did go out on July 4, that weekend, all remaining employees working at the restaurant resigned from their roles. This followed the departure of the restaurant’s long-time general manager, leaving surviving employees overwhelmed with a lack of support and guidance from the cafe’s owner. 

Owner Cory Stipp purchased Happy Gillis from previous owners Abbey-Jo and Josh Eans when the family moved overseas in 2022. With this sale, Happy Gillis employees shared that Stipp absorbed all Happy Gillis assets including current staff and recipes.

However, for many employees, they did not feel the transition in management style from previous owners reflected the overall mission of Happy Gillis and what the business strived to bring to the Columbus Park community. 

“I didn’t meet [the owner] for three months; he was not there for my interview and he didn’t come in to say hello to staff,” a Happy Gillis General Employee shared with Northeast News in an interview. “He was overall uninterested in taking initiative in knowing who works for him.” 

This was a great difference from working for the Eans, who, they shared, would show up for the business each day and complete work behind the scenes and in the kitchen — including providing stability for their staff. 

Employees shared additional challenges, which led to their departure from Happy Gillis including paycheck bounces, lack of staffing and mistreatment from the owner. 

However, with these factors, staffers reiterated that reasons for leaving were not related to the Columbus Park community and the relationships that many employees fostered and built over the years. 

“We loved going to work, every single one of us knew we had created something every day,” a former employee shared. “We had yummy food, a place to relax, regulars and sweet people who lived in the neighborhood; it was just as special to us as it was for them.”

And now what Columbus Park neighbors are seeking is transparency and stability from a space has meant so much to them. 

“I hope that they will come back; someone who can be more consistent and run a business,” Valenti said. “ I hope they can come back and the future of that corner survives; that space is a staple of the community,” 

To Columbus Park residents and Historic Northeast community members who have begun to see an impact with this closure, former Happy Gillis staff shared that the connection they created with the community was profound. 

“We are deeply sorry that it had to go this way; we miss them and the time we had with them was deeply cherished,” a former Happy Gillis employee said. 

Currently, the future of Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout remains uncertain. However, former employees shared that they believe the owner will try to sell the restaurant. 

At press time, Happy Gillis owner Cory Stipp has not responded to Northeast News’s requests for comments. Former Happy Gillis employees additionally requested to remain anonymous in the interview process. 

The Northeast News will provide additional information on the status of Happy Gillis as it becomes available.