Announcement on Indoor Dining During Mitigations, Biden Relief Package

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

Please see the below resources and information for your business - updated as of 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 15.

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Governor Announces Limited Reopening of Restaurants During Mitigations, More Help Needed

This afternoon, Governor Pritzker announced that restaurants in regions that are moved to Tier 1 mitigations are permitted to resume indoor service at 25% occupancy or 25 people per room (whichever is fewer). Click here to read the announcement.

Click here to review the state's updated mitigation plan.

The IRA is appreciative of the dialogue with Governor Pritzker and his team. While every step towards reopening helps, today’s announcement falls short of the restaurant industry's critical needs and expectations.

As outlined, restaurants in all regions will remain closed for indoor dining until they reach Tier 1 — adding to growing debt, devastating job loss, and business closures. Additionally, the restaurants located in Tier 1 regions able to offer limited indoor dining can do so only at the lesser of 25% capacity, or 25 total guests per room. No restaurant can break even at that volume, let alone hire back their team members. 

As one of the most highly-regulated industries in terms of health and safety — and with enhanced measures introduced during COVID-19 — Illinois restaurants know how to protect the wellbeing of their guests and team members. They are capable of safely serving more guests than what the state will currently allow, and they need more to survive this crisis.

For the sake of the nearly 100,000 restaurant industry workers who lost their jobs between February and November, we urge the state to revisit this strategy and place more faith in the industry that for so long has served as Illinois’ largest private sector employer.

The IRA will continue to press for more pragmatic reopening regulations in addition to greater support and relief for Illinois restaurants and hospitality businesses.

Click here to send a message to Governor Pritzker and leaders in the General Assembly, and share the above graphic on your social media channels.

President-elect Biden Announces American Rescue Plan

Last night, President-elect Biden made a speech announcing his framework for an American Rescue Plan (ARP), a $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill. 

While the announcement included key insights, it lacks the detail needed for a thorough analysis. Alarmingly, it would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour and eliminate the tip wage. Additionally, a restaurant-specific relief fund is not included in the announcement.

Speaker Pelosi and incoming Senate Majority Leader Schumer swiftly endorsed the proposal, encouraged Republicans to support it, and pledged to work on its passage. President-elect Biden has suggested that he would like to see it enacted by the end of the month.

Click here to read the full fact sheet.

The ARP can probably be best characterized as President-elect Biden’s opening salvo for the next COVID relief package. He will likely face substantial resistance from Republicans, and Democrats, to certain aspects of his plan. For instance, the minimum wage increase – which we are, of course, extremely concerned to see included – is particularly notable as it would raise costs on businesses at a time when they are already struggling to survive.

The IRA will remain vigilant in working to ensure that the legislation is as favorable for restaurants as possible. That includes working to remove pieces that would be harmful to our industry and supporting the inclusion of pro-restaurant provisions. 

Click here to read more from Nation's Restaurant News.

Phil Vettel Leaving Chicago Tribune

For 31 years, Phil Vettel has championed Chicago’s culinary community for the Chicago Tribune - tracing the journeys of our founding chefs and the generations of talent that have followed. Through his reviews, Phil told their stories with boundless curiosity and integrity. In addition to his weekly review column, he also often editorialized the depth of our industry, including its moments of innovation, success, or - in more recent times - tribulation. Through it all, he has espoused our city as one of the nation’s finest culinary destinations.

We are grateful to have collaborated with Phil on numerous occasions, and especially during Chicago Gourmet. He always announced ticket sales and programming and covered the epicurean festival every year as though it was his first. And a true testament to his expert palate, he had a knack for correctly predicting our Hamburger Hop winners before the votes were tallied!

We cannot thank Phil enough for his contributions and congratulate him on a career that has left an indelible impression on our city. His enthusiasm and love for Chicago’s restaurant industry is truly one of a kind, and he will be greatly missed.

Click here to read more from Chicago Tribune.

Last Call for National Restaurant Association Show Early Bird Pricing

If you want to navigate the latest challenges brought about by the pandemic and find your new normal, the National Restaurant Association Show is the best opportunity to uncover what's needed to adapt, evolve, and reimagine the future of your business.

Early bird rates end today, so be sure to purchase your tickets to be part of the event in Chicago, May 22-25.

Click here to register.

Watch On Demand - Utilizing New Options for Generating Revenue Webinar

Thank you to everyone that attended and our panelists from Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen, 16” on Center, and US Foods for joining yesterday's webinar providing operators with ideas for new or different options for generating revenue at your business now.

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

Click here to watch the webinar recording. Click here to download the presentation.