Posted: 7:40 PM May 29, 2012
Reporter: Barbara Harrington

South Bend Summit Club suspending operations indefinitely

The first business to open in South Bend’s Chase Tower is suspending operations indefinitely.

Lunch Tuesday afternoon was the last meal at the Summit Club, a restaurant for members and their guests.

It’s occupied the top floor of the Chase Tower since it was built, but the board of directors is suspending service for financial reasons.

“It was a long, laborious decision,” said Chairman of the Board Kevin Grisson. “It probably realistically started about two years ago with the economic downturn. You add to that competition not only downtown, but other areas such as Eddy Commons, really takes away from the restaurant dollar people are spending.”

Grisson says negative publicity about the condition of Chase Tower also affected membership.

At closing, the Summit Club had fewer than 300 members – far from what it would take to make the restaurant viable. The club needs at least 400 members to reopen.

Grisson is hopeful that could happen in the future; the club’s keeping its charter in hopes of reopening when the economy turns around.

But Grisson says until then, the indefinite closure means South Bend is losing a staple.

“This is the first and only business that’s occupied this floor,” he said. “It was the first place open for business when the building was built nearly 40 years ago. It's the namesake and one of the most well-known businesses in South Bend.”

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