Kankakee/Will Open, Cook County Grants Available, IL Operator Survey

The Illinois Restaurant Association continues to engage with local, state, and federal officials to help our employers and employees address concerns about COVID-19.

Please see the below resources and information for your business - updated as of 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 18.

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Complete Our Illinois Operator Survey

The IRA is currently surveying Illinois restaurant and bar operators outside of the city of Chicago on various issues related to reopening and the status of your businesses. Chicago operators received a separate survey yesterday afternoon.

Please take three minutes to complete our survey and share your perspective. If you have more than one establishment, we ask that you complete the survey for each business separately.

Click here to take the survey for Illinois restaurant and bar owners/operators outside of the city of Chicago.

Your insights will help guide the IRA's advocacy efforts to provide regulatory relief and overall support for Illinois' hospitality industry.

Restaurants and Bars in Region 7 Can Resume Indoor Service

Earlier today, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced that Region 7, which includes the greater Will and Kankakee County areas, will return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan today, Friday, September 18 as of 5:00 p.m.

Region 7 moved to stricter mitigations following three consecutive days of a rolling positivity rate above 8 percent. As of today, Region 7 has reached the threshold to lift mitigations of three consecutive days of a rolling positivity rate below 6.5 percent, with today's rate at 5.6 percent. This means that as of 5 p.m. today, indoor dining and bar service can resume along with larger gathering sizes as outlined in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan.

Click here to read more.

Crain's - Tracking COVID-19's Impact on Jobs

Today, Crain's Chicago Business outlined COVID-19's devastating impacts on Illinois' economy and thousands of unemployed workers, particularly in the restaurant, hospitality, and tourism industries. It is estimated 81,000 employees in Illinois' hospitality and restaurant business are still out of work.

"That could go higher if we don't increase capacity here in the city of Chicago," IRA President & CEO Sam Toia said of the 25% seating limit that Mayor Lightfoot has imposed on indoor dining. "A lot of restaurants doing al fresco dining are not going to be able to do that come December or January."

Click here to read more.

$10,000 Grants Available for Cook County Small Businesses

Suburban Cook County businesses with 20 or fewer employees who have seen financial losses due to the pandemic may qualify for a $10,000 grant from the Cook County COVID-19 Recovery Small Business Assistance program to help get their business back on its feet.

Click here to learn more and find out if you qualify.

Resources for South Suburban Restaurants

Southland Development Authority is a free, one-stop resource to helping businesses recover from the pandemic.

Click here for expert assistance or call 708-232-6098. 

Next Week - Webinar on Safety, Testing, and Protection for Restaurant Staff

Join the IRA and Cook County Department of Public Health along with panelists from NorthShore Clinical Labs, TrustPlace Technologies, and International Filter Manufacturing Corporation for a webinar Thursday, September 24 at 10:00 a.m. offering ways to navigate restaurant staff safety including current guidelines, testing, processes, PPE and air filtration. Learn best practices and solutions for keeping your staff safe.

This webinar is provided in partnership with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Community Recovery Initiative.

**Este seminario web se transmitirá en inglés y español.**

**此网络研讨会有中文及英文两种放送版本**

Click here to register.