Lil Mama’s, a Chicago-style hoagie restaurant in Patten Square, is permanently closing on Dec. 31.
Owners Michael and Kori Ellis announced the news on social media via a Facebook and Instagram live video.
“Unfortunately,” Kori Ellis said in the video on Wednesday, “we’ve had to make the very, very difficult, heavy-hearted decision that we’re going to be closing the doors of Lil Mama’s at the end of this month, Dec. 31.”
They spoke about how much they’ve loved connecting with the Chattanooga community over hoagies. Kori Ellis said they’ve prioritized paying their team a living wage and running their business with integrity, but said unfortunately, they are at the end of their rope. She cited a difficult season, including a traumatic ankle injury that she is still recovering from and not being able to fully walk yet.