WTTW/Channel 11 in Chicago started their restaurant show “Check, Please!” in 2001. Here’s how they described it on their website:

Check, Please! brings people from across Chicago’s neighborhoods together to inspire exploration and discovery of the diversity of foods, flavors, and cuisines of our community.

A simpler description would be this….three people would each pick one of their favorite restaurants. They would all go eat there separately. They would not tell the restaurant why they were there. The threesome would meet up with the host and discuss what they liked and sometimes disliked about the restaurant.

Twenty seasons’ worth of shows would bring us hundreds of restaurants. Any genre of restaurant that you could imagine was featured and reviewed on “Check, Please!.” The range went from fine dining to hot dog stands. Imagine my surprise when my local dog place, Redhot Ranch, was reviewed because someone loved their burgers. Btw, the reviewer was right, plus you really should try their fries.

I was looking at the listing of “Check, Please!” restaurants and found that I had dined at almost forty of them. A few of them became regulars while others like Gibson’s Italia turned into a place to celebrate a special occasion.

All of this is what made “Check, Please!” must-see tv. It caught on nationwide, too. A few years ago I was in Phoenix. I turned on the tv late one night and to my surprise was their local version of “Check, Please!.” Other markets that have their own “Check, Please!” include San Fransisco, Miami, Kansas City and Philadelphia.

All good things eventually come to end. Earlier this week it was announced that the original “Check, Please!” in Chicago, will not return for another season. WTTW/Channel 11 said they’ll fill its Friday night spot by trying to develop some new local programming.

I can’t really complain. Twenty years in television is spectacular. But, damn it, how am I going to find new places to eat? Hmmm….I guess I am going to complain!

If I’m looking for some decent pie, where is my next Bang Bang Pie? If I want breakfast in my neighborhood, where is my next Batter and Berries? If I’m jonesing for a burger in Evanston, where is my next Edzo’s? I can go on and on and on.

As you can see, I’m going to miss “Check, Please!.” It wasn’t only entertainment for many of us, it provided a much-needed service. It would be great if one of our local stations would pick up the program, but I’m not holding my breath. We can only hope that someone develops a new restaurant show to take its place.

Goodbye “Check, Please!” You had a great run!

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