2021 Cook County Budget Plan, DoorDash Grants

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 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 15.

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2021 Cook County Budget Plan Avoids Tax Hikes

Today, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle proposed a $6.9 billion budget plan as opposed to the County's $6.2 billion budget in 2020. The budget includes no increased taxes, no widespread layoffs and no reduction in services with an increased commitment to equity.

Detailed in the plan is funding for economic development which includes $5 million for small business assistance and $2 million for workforce training.

Declining revenues due to COVID-19 are being offset by new revenue streams such as $80.3 million from online sales tax, $13.9 million from cannabis taxes and $3.6 million from the sports wagering tax.

Click here to read more from ABC 7. Click here to read more from Crain's Chicago.

Free Business Advising Available Through Cook County

All businesses located within the City of Chicago and suburban Cook County are eligible for business advising programming from the Cook County COVID-19 Recovery Small Business Assistance program to help address the unique needs arising from the pandemic.

Click here to learn more.

Federal COVID Stimulus Unlikely Before Elections

With the election less than a month away, lawmakers and top aides admit that it would be virtually impossible to finalize a trillion-dollar-plus package in that time. While Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Speaker Nancy Pelosi continue to have productive conversations and make progress with negotiations time is running out.

The IRA continues to advocate on behalf of the industry for the RESTAURANTS Act and a second round of PPP loans.

See below for the latest economic impact numbers from the NRA and click here to read more.

DoorDash Grant Applications for Winterizing Chicago Restaurants Live Tomorrow

DoorDash will be providing $500,000 in financial support to Chicago restaurants to help cover the costs of winterizing their outdoor dining areas.

Starting tomorrow, Friday, October 16, Chicago restaurants will be able to apply to receive a $5,000 grant to defray winterization expenses such as the cost of heating equipment, additional safety materials to improve indoor dining, upgrades for air filtration systems, bulk orders of blankets for patrons, and more.

To qualify, restaurants must be located in Chicago with three or fewer locations operating currently, 50 employees or fewer in 2019, and $3M or less in 2019 annual revenue per store. Restaurants can find full details and the application on the Hello Alice website. Recipients will be notified by the end of December.

Applications will go live HERE tomorrow, October 16 at 10AM CST

Stella Artois Launches New Outdoor Dining Initiative

Today, the Illinois Restaurant Association and the West Central Association, in partnership with Stella Artois, revealed the Dining Together, Apart program; an innovative, outdoor dining solution for Chicago restaurants to bring customers together over a meal to dine together, safely apart while supporting the restaurant and bar community.

Starting tomorrow, October 16, Chicagoans can comfortably dine alfresco well into colder months with temperature-controlled domes and greenhouse-like pods spanning the Fulton Market and five restaurants including: The Publican, Duck, Duck Goat, Beatrix, Kuma’s Corner, and Gus’s Fried Chicken.

Check out the NBC interview here featuring IRA President & CEO Sam Toia and IRA Board Member Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality, and click here to learn more.

Business Licensing 101

Tomorrow, October 16 at 11:30AM CST the City of Chicago Business Affairs & Consumer Protection, the Department of Buildings and the Department of Transportation will host a webinar for an overview of Winter Dining Guidelines.

Attendees will learn the process to obtain a business license and how to access free resources and support for your business.

Click here to register.

Watch on Demand - Maximizing Restaurant Space in Fall and Winter Webinar

Thank you to everyone that attended and our panelists from City Open Workshop and the Department of Business Affair and Consumer Protection for joining today's webinar on how to safely and creatively optimize restaurant outdoor space for service in the fall/winter months.

This webinar was provided in partnership with the Cook County Community Recovery Initiative.

Click here to watch the presentation. Click here to download the slide presentation.

Next Week - Finding Cost Saving Solutions For Restaurants Webinar

As the seasons change, get tips and ideas for saving money. 

Looking for ways to save money this Fall & Winter? Join the Illinois Restaurant Association and panelists from IGS Energy, Performance Foodservice-Chicago, and EMPLOYERS next Thursday, October 22 at 10:00am CST for a webinar providing restaurant operators cost saving ideas on everything from ordering, to insurance, to utilities. 

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.

Webinar with Mayors: What Will Your City Be Like Without Restaurants? 

The National Restaurant Association is partnering with the US Conference of Mayors to host a webinar, “What Will Your City Be Like Without Restaurants?" The webinar will highlight challenges that the restaurant industry is facing and what mayors can do to help restaurants survive the pandemic and the years ahead.

Invite your Mayors to join this webinar which will take place on Monday, October 19 at 2PM CST / 3PM EST.

Click here to register.