(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A Pilsen hot dog stand that was not allowed to renew its license because of a mural on the side of the building is back in business.
Now, the alderman of the ward wants an investigation by the Inspector General.
The mural on the building housing Memo’s Hot Dogs shows stoner icons Cheech and Chong and a hot dog.
The city, according to 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, decided it was advertising and would need a permit, based on an ordinance that was rejected by the City Council. Fines were issued, and the business license wasn’t renewed,
until the situation was made public.
“To our surprise, when we called this out publicly and we demanded the license to be reinstated, the license was reinstated the following day. So, the concern was why is the license tied to this mural to begin with?”
He suggests it may have something to do with the owners criticizing the city over not being included as a vendor at festivals.
“They were very vocal about that, and I think that we’re looking into potential retaliation here and that is one thing that we’re concerned about,” the alderman said.
The owners say they are just glad to be open again.
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