GLENDALE HEIGHTS, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A west suburban restaurant owner who defied Governor Pritzker’s ban on indoor dining a year ago said his decision was worth it.
“This wasn’t about politics,” said Spiro Roumpas, owner of Ki’s Steak and Seafood, in Glendale Heights.
People flocked to Roumpas’ restaurant when he decided to allow diners inside. Some of them came, because it fit their political beliefs and they wanted to reward him. Others came, because they needed to be out. For Roumpas, it was all economics.
“I have a lot of full-time people. This is their job. This is how they make their living. Most of us wouldn’t have survived if we shut down," he said.
Roumpas said he received a lot of phone calls and emails when his decision became public “saying ‘How could you do this?’ Some off-the-wall threats and stuff like that. Just random BS that just fell on deaf ears.”
Roumpas believes his decision to remain open during the indoor dining ban a year ago was the right choice. He believes no one contracted COVID as a result.
“The health department did call me a few times, the DuPage County Health Department. They were, obviously, aware of what we were doing, and they said, ‘We don’t condone what you’re doing, but it’s not our job to shut you down,'" Roumpas said.
“They would call me about once every other week and just say, ‘Okay, have you heard of anything?’ I said, ‘no' and they said they hadn’t heard of anything, either.”
Roumpas said there were no repercussions from the state, either.
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Roumpas said a couple of his part-time employees did contract COVID and had indicated they contracted it at other jobs they had. He said he has 30-35 full-time workers and that none of them tested positive for COVID.
He said he and his staff followed all safety precautions, including the wearing of masks and thorough cleaning procedures.
Spiro Roumpas said he lost some customers as a result of his decision, but gained many more and that business is very good.
“I’ve had some people come in that said, ‘Hey, we didn’t agree with what you were doing,’ or ‘We thought it was wrong, but we’re back.’”
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