CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- For 30 years, Coco Pazzo on the corner of Hubbard and Franklin, has been a mainstay of the River North community, but owner Jack Weiss said the pandemic really tested their resilience.
"My lawyer told me, you have two ways to go: one, either you shut down and cut your losses or the other one is that you borrow, make all necessary accommodations to get through this, and tough it out. We picked the latter," said Jack Weiss, President, Coco Pazzo.
The Coco Pazzo Cafe on the Magnificent Mile had a harder time.
"We had a tougher business climate there. With the social unrest and the pandemic, tourism really never materialized there, so we shut that down temporarily. We didn't reopen until May," he said.
Like many other restaurateurs, Weiss opened an outside patio and offered takeout at his Hubbard Street location and he's finally seeing the light at the of the tunnel.
"We really had to start over. We stripped down the operation. It's a new restaurant. How do we re-evaluate everything, the concept, the menu, the wine list? We sell out pretty much every night, but weekends especially. Weekends, hands down, are over the top," he smiled.
For Ryan See who co-owns The Kennison, the last 15 months have been hard to explain.
"It was an emotional rollercoaster. There was a shut down, an opening, a somewhat of an opening, sit next to an open window opening. It was a hell of a ride," he reflected.
And although The Kennison and the J Parker are seeing patrons come back, the staff isn't.
"It's a delicate balance these days. We know we have to raise our labor cost to attract people. We're having to offer signing bonuses, retention bonuses and increased wages. It drives our labor up, but it also forces us to pass that cost to our patrons and that's what hurts the most," See said. "We're competing with everyone else to get back good people."
Weiss is seeing the same thing.
"Initially, we let a lot of people go, we've had some come back, but labor is a killer. Everybody is trying to poach everyone else right now."
In November, See made the difficult decision to close his other restaurant, Compass Bar. He was emotional as he talked about it.
"I lost a restaurant on Diversey. We lost it in the second shutdown. We survived the first one, but didn't make it through the winter," he said. "But back here at the Kennison, for the most part we've seen a huge increase in business which is a tell tale sign."
Meantime, it's a busy day at the front desk at the Hotel Lincoln, built in 1928 and redone in 2012. General Manager Dan White said he feels like he's starting over again, as well, as the hotel industry was hit especially hard.
"We stayed open during the pandemic, we were considered an essential business, but it was quiet. It's almost like we're opening a brand new hotel again with training and orientation," White said, who added that patrons are definitely coming back. He's been sold out the last two weekends as are many hotels downtown.
"Thursday through Saturday, we're sold out. It's a good feeling. People are glad to be out and traveling again, so it's pretty positive," White said. "July and August are our leisure months in Chicago. We're closing in on 2019 numbers. We're hoping to see convention numbers return as well in the fall."
For both the restaurant and hotel industry, experts agreed, it's about baby steps, patience, and hope - hope that employees and tourists return.
"We learned a lot about ourselves, we learned about our threshold of pain in this industry, but we learned a lot about what the future will hold," See said.
"It's a wonderful, joyous time and we're fortunate enough to be in a business and celebrate and bring happiness to people. That's the aspect of the business I love best," Weiss added.
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