Sam Sianis, Owner of Legendary Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, Dies at 91

Sam Sianis, a Greek immigrant who became one of the most successful saloonkeepers and a popular figure in the sports and media worlds, died early Friday morning in Chicago. He was 91 years old. The death was announced by Endeavor Swedish Hospital. Sianis had recently had gall bladder surgery but died of complications of old age. He was the legendary owner of the Billy Goat Tavern. The tavern is located on Hubbard Street. It is tucked in perpetual twilight under Michigan Avenue.

Sianis built a business empire that included six taverns. The oldest of the Billy Goat brood was the original establishment on Hubbard Street. His work ethic often manifested in early morning darkness. He would place chairs upside down on tables and sweep the floors alone in the quiet hours between last call and sunrise. He said this cleaning time was what he did. He could not not do it. To be a manager, you have to graduate from a big college. He did not. He graduated from mopping floors and all that. He learned to see the work that needs to be done and take care of that work. He learned this lesson when he came here. He came from the tiny Greek village of Palaiopyrgos. He was born Sotirios Athanasios Sianis in the early morning of Dec. 12, 1934.

His mother, Theofana, died an hour after his birth. He was fed goat milk as an infant. He was raised by his father, Anthanasios, and by a large extended family. His father would later have four more children from two other marriages. His formal education stopped after one year of high school. He began work on the family farm. He plowed, cut wheat and did other chores by hand. At 19, he came to America. He landed in New York on May 15, 1955. He made his way to San Francisco. He worked in the coffee shop owned by two aunts with whom he also lived. Within a year, he had a job as an apprentice mechanic for the Southern Pacific Railroad. But four years later, he was laid off. He headed east and arrived in Chicago in 1960. He worked for his father's brother, William Sianis, who ran the Billy Goat Inn across Madison Street from the former Chicago Stadium.

He mopped the floors and filled the coolers. He tended the bar. He recalled that there were many goats that he fed who lived out back. The famous goat that made the curse was no longer alive. That goat would have been named Murphy. The goat launched the noted Curse of the Billy Goat. The curse began when William and his pet goat were refused entrance to Wrigley Field on Oct. 6, 1945. The refusal happened for the fourth game of the World Series between the Cubs and Detroit Tigers. After the Cubs lost the seven-game series, Billy sent a note to team owner Philip Wrigley. The note asked who stinks now. Over the ensuing decades, the curse lasted until Nov. 2, 2016. The Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series on that date. The myth-making ability of newspaper reporters contributed to the legend along with the Cubs' ineptitude.

Sam enjoyed working at the Madison Street tavern. It was lively and popular with visiting stars, athletes, conventioneers and members of the press. But he was not sorry to see it close in 1964. It moved to a new location on Hubbard Street. This new location was within easy stumbling distance from what were then the city's four daily newspapers. The Sun-Times and Daily News were to the west on Wabash Avenue. The Tribune and Chicago Today were on Michigan Avenue to the east. The move gave the tavern a steady stream of customers. It featured a grill. It had a steady stream of customers.

The first of them was Bob Borgstrom. He was the captain and owner of Wendella Boats. The boats parked in the Chicago River a block south of the tavern. Sam and Bob would become close friends. Before his death in 2023, Borgstrom said that Sam is like a brother to him. He added that if you do not love this guy, then you cannot love anybody. Sam would fall in love in 1974 on a trip back to Greece. While there, he called the tavern to tell his friends that he had met a fine girl named Irene Dariotis. They were married in Greece that November. There remains a photo from their wedding behind one of the tavern's cash registers. Sam and Irene would live in Park Ridge. They had six children. Some Sundays, you could find them all at the tavern after Mass at St. Basil's Greek Orthodox Church on the Near West Side. Bill was their first, born in 1975. Then came Tom. Tom is now a Cook County Circuit Court judge. Paul was an accountant. Ted was a graphic artist. Jennifer and Patty were twin girls. They are a physical therapist and a teacher, respectively. Sam did the cooking.

The faces of family and friends cover the walls of the Goat of Hubbard. Photos were the principal manner in which Billy and Sam decorated. There was a Wall of Fame at Hubbard Street. It had framed photos prominently featuring Billy. Also there were the faces of the many politicians, local and national. These included George Bush, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. They visited the tavern often seeking that common touch the place might provide. After William's death in 1970, Sam ran the tavern tirelessly. He was ever available during baseball seasons to offer comment on the ongoing curse. He sometimes visited Wrigley Field with a goat or two. He borrowed these goats from a friend's farm. Such publicity kept the curse in the headlines and on tourists' minds. Sam was often the first real Chicagoan tourists met when they ambled cautiously down the stairs to his saloon. Tribune reporter Rick Pearson described him as a man who symbolized all the strengths of the city. He was a place where a hardworking Greek immigrant could be successful. He could grow a business and help others who emigrated here. He could dispense a beverage and friendly advice. His greatest legacy was his family. Something he was proudest of was his family.

Sam and the tavern were also beneficiaries of another prominent television homage. The Omaha Restaurant sketch on Saturday Night Live helped give birth to a famous sketch. That was created by SNL writer Don Novello. He had frequented the Billy Goat for lunch when he worked at a Chicago advertising firm in the early 1970s. He moved to New York to write for the show. The first sketch aired on Jan. 28, 1978. It was at the time the most expensive set in the show's history. It starred John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and guest host Robert Klein. It featured the staff of what was called the Olympia Restaurant. The sketch lampooned the Billy Goat staff's gruff manner and limited menu and strict rules. The rules included No Coke and Pepsi. No fries and chips. The most notable rule was Cheezborger, cheezborger, cheezborger. Sam only heard about it days later from customers. The Billy Goat's fame continued to grow. When the famous chef Julia Child came to town, she stopped at the Billy Goat. She ordered the famous Cheezborger. The menu was simple. It featured a grill and a steady stream of customers. The Cheezborger was a grilled cheese sandwich on rye bread. It was topped with tomato, lettuce and pickles. It was a staple of the menu for decades. The sandwich became a symbol of the tavern. It was a simple meal for a simple man who loved his city. He loved Chicago passionately. He became a real part of it. He was an inspiration and everything else to me and my siblings. His son William said that his father always talked reverently about his uncle and about Greece. His father carried with him many traditions. He loved this city passionately. He became a real part of it.