Chris Robles is a goddamn Chicago institution.
Raised on the Northwest Side, he now holds down the bar at Town Hall Pub. Drinking there is like drinking in your uncle’s basement: leather couches, great stereo, sticky carpets, and Chris—the fun uncle (though, to be honest, he’s way more fun than any of my uncles). On a typical night at Town Hall, Chris is pouring as many Old Styles as he is IPAs. He’s also slinging as many jello and pudding shots as a customer can handle.
For 10 years, I ran a comedy show at Town Hall. Every week I’d walk in to set up and be greeted by Chris’ customary “Alright!” We’d chat about the Bulls and our families, and he’d let me know what insanity went down during the weekend. For 10 years, Chris became an institution in my life.
When I heard about Chicago bars shutting down, I thought of him. Chris is an institution because he takes care of people. Now I began wondering how I could take care of him.
Today on my Instagram feed, I saw that Town Hall was selling T-shirts to help out their staff. I quickly ordered one, paid with Venmo, and threw in a tip for good measure. I wasn’t surprised when Chris texted me a couple of hours later to tell me he was delivering it personally.
When I saw him, we elbow bumped, chatted about how shitty the Bulls were, and our families.
Stay alright out there, Chris. Chicago needs its institutions.
