RIP Billy Goat's Sam Sianis

[MU82]

Died last week at 91.

I visited Billy Goat many times in the late '70s and early '80s when he was behind the bar. Always got the double cheeseburger because, as he said, "Double the best. Double the best."

He and the Goat became legends thanks to Mike Royko's columns and SNL's famous series of "cheezborger" skits.

[Uncle Rico]

Died last week at 91.

I visited Billy Goat many times in the late '70s and early '80s when he was behind the bar. Always got the double cheeseburger because, as he said, "Double the best. Double the best."

He and the Goat became legends thanks to Mike Royko's columns and SNL's famous series of "cheezborger" skits.

Vaxxed?

[JWags85]

I can't speak to the quality or environment back in the 70s/80s/early 90s.  But Billy Goat came to be a right of passage in the mid 2000s onward for new transplants to Chicago to go cause it was famous and quickly experience "what the hell, this burger kind of sucks" in all its tourist trap glory.  I used to work close to the oldest location on Lower Michigan so I saw tons of new hires go through it.

Billy Sianis was a marketing genuis and its earned its place in Chicago history, but hard pass on ever eating there again

[Scoop Snoop]

I can't speak to the quality or environment back in the 70s/80s/early 90s.  But Billy Goat came to be a right of passage in the mid 2000s onward for new transplants to Chicago to go cause it was famous and quickly experience "what the hell, this burger kind of sucks" in all its tourist trap glory.  I used to work close to the oldest location on Lower Michigan so I saw tons of new hires go through it.

Billy Sianis was a marketing genuis and its earned its place in Chicago history, but hard pass on ever eating there again

I went there with a buddy before it became famous thanks to SNL, but Royko was already writing about it in his column. I like to be at places before they become tourist traps and pre-SNL, I don't think Royko's mentioning the place had a huge effect. But I'm sure some people came because of Royko.