Mon Ami Gabi is a chain of French bistros in the United States operated by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Mon Ami Gabi has five locations, with the original located in Lincoln Park, Chicago.
History
The concept for Mon Ami Gabi was created after a family dinner that Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) founder Rich Melman had at Ambria, a fine dining French restaurant owned by LEYE. Melman enjoyed the more casual French bistro dishes prepared by the French cooks and in 1998, LEYE opened the first Mon Ami Gabi in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.[1]
The restaurant name, Mon Ami Gabi, translates into "My Friend Gabi". The restaurant is named after LEYE chef-partner Gabino Sotelino after chef Jean Banchet greeted Sotelino with “Hey mon ami Gabi, how are you?”. The original Chicago location is in the Belden Stratford, a former hotel which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]