Gyros in the Loop Owner Explains Closure, Seoul Taco Arrival

By Ian Froeb Thu., Jul. 26 2012 at 12:00 PM

Categories: Restaurant News & Reviews, Restaurant Roll Call

To review yesterday's raucous confusion:

1. Gyros in the Loop (571 Melville Avenue, University City; 314-725-5343) is currently open, but will close.

2. Food truck Seoul Taco (@SeoulTaco; 314-517-8916) will take over the address for its bricks-and-mortar operation.

3. The person who was presented to me as the Gyros in the Loop owner when I called the restaurant for clarification -- and who denied any closure or relocation -- and the person at building-owner Pars Realty who cursed at, and then hung up, on me when I called seeking clarification were one and the same, the restaurant's landlord, Ray Ghasedi.

This morning, I was able to speak the actual owner of Gyros in the Loop, Blake Duran, who explained his decision to close the restaurant and allow Seoul Taco to move into the space.

Duren, a lawyer by trade, agreed to run Gyros in the Loop as well: "I have my law office in the [same] building, and I worked [the restaurant] for two years and made money."

Recently, however, Duren decided it was time for him to pursue other business, explaining, "Running a restaurant is very tough."

There was one problem: His lease wasn't up. "I knew if I got a replacement, it wouldnt be an issue," he says. When he heard that Seoul Taco was seeking a location for a bricks-and-mortar operation, "I thought they would be great fit for the Loop."