A coalition made up of Chicago restaurant owners is pressuring city leaders to ease up on certain COVID-19 restrictions ahead of Valentine’s Day.
Roger Romanelli, executive director of the Fulton Market Association and a member of the Chicago Restaurants Coalition, says it would be safe to increase indoor dining to 50% or 50 people.
The group argues data indicates no link between indoor dining and COVID-19 cases in Chicago. It says the city’s positivity rate has actually gone down since it resumed.
“Restaurants have lost millions and millions of dollars during the pandemic,” Romanelli said Monday. “It’s even worse during holiday season, and Valentine’s Day is a major holiday for Chicago restaurants.”
AJ Castillo, with Americanos, questioned why grocery stores are still open and packed with customers while restaurants suffer.
“It’s almost comical,” he said. “How are we as small businesses being punished, yet these large corporations have so many people filled in without being monitored?”
The group is also calling for more restaurant survival grants and more resources dedicated to stopping crime citywide.
Mayor Lightfoot has said the city will have further guidance on indoor dining later in the week. Currently, indoor dining is capped at 25% of a restaurant’s capacity, or 25 people, whichever is least. Businesses are still expected to take precautions, such as require masks for people who are not eating or drinking inside.