Yesterday’s restaurant may be a part of the past.

The reasons behind the restaurant’s sudden shuttering are unclear, but the college-themed bar and eatery is closed, according to Evanston Health Department files, said Carla Bush, Evanston chief of community health.

The restaurant had not violated any health regulations, Bush said.

Yesterday’s had not paid its water bill for more than a month, forcing city officials to cut off the water supply Thursday for the restaurant and the apartment above it, said Richard Figurelli, Evanston superintendent of water and sewers.

“We don’t usually shut off businesses’ water,” Figurelli said, adding that city officials had repeatedly posted and mailed notices to the restaurant. “This is the first time Yesterday’s was on that (shut-off) list. They’re not known for having unpaid bills.”

Signs on the restaurant’s windows Thursday night read “Closed for Renovations; Sorry for the Inconvenience.” Letters were missing from the sign on the east face of the restaurant, and a broken letter “T” littered the front steps.

“We were told they were doing renovations, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Figurelli said. “If they were just renovating, why wouldn’t they pay their water bill?”

Figurelli didn’t know how much Yesterday’s owed the city, but he said unpaid water bills normally don’t put restaurants out of business.

Yesterday’s manager Steve Taylor did not return repeated phone calls to his Chicago home Thursday.

The restaurant property at 1850 Sherman Ave. is owned by Cosmopolitan Bank and Trust in Chicago. A bank representative said she could not disclose information on Yesterday’s financial situation or any reasons behind the closing.

Evanston Chamber of Commerce officials could not confirm that the restaurant had closed for good and said they were not sure why the restaurant shut its doors.

The closing came as a surprise to many Northwestern students who frequented the restaurant.

Janette Pinson, a Weinberg senior, applied on Sept. 1 for a waitress job at the restaurant, which had a “now hiring” sign in its window.

“The lady was like, ‘Yeah, we’re looking for a lot of people,'” Pinson said. “I was expecting a phone call, but I never got one. It’s strange that they closed if they were just hiring.”

The eatery had become a “hot spot” by the end of Spring Quarter, said Sarah Sherwood, a McCormick senior.

“I loved Yesterday’s,” she said. “(It was) such a good college atmosphere.”