For 35 years, celebrity chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless has packed his Frontera Grill on New Year’s Eve, an annual tradition for scores of longtime customers at the acclaimed Mexican restaurant in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.
The restaurant industry has been hard hit by the pandemic, navigating closures, indoor dining restrictions, labor shortages, supplier price increases and declining revenue. In 2020, 90,000 restaurants permanently closed as sales fell by $240 billion across the U.S., according to the National Restaurant Association. While the industry showed signs of recovering last year, the one-two punch of the delta and omicron variants has halted the momentum.
Frontera will hit 40 to 50 customers on its best nights this month, Bayless said. He had hoped to fill 145 seats for New Year’s Eve, but sold only 68. In Illinois, 4,524 restaurants received federal grants totaling more than $1.4 billion. But 15,674 applied for nearly $3.5 billion, meaning more than 71% of Illinois restaurants did not receive funds, according to SBA data.
[Most read] Chicago Bears hire Matt Eberflus as the franchise’s 17th head coach: ‘We will do everything in our power to bring a Super Bowl championship back to Chicago’“We are still employing those 140 people, even though we could do with a third less, for sure,” Bayless said. “The only reason we can do that is just because we got federal aid.”
The coalition has been pushing for Congress to replenish the restaurant fund. Such a measure was not included in President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act, which was approved by the House in November but stalled in the Senate. Several other stand-alone proposals, however, are gaining traction.
MEMO TO RICK BAYLESS: Florida restaurants are full, Chicago restaurants are not. Wonder why Rick? STOP asking for a Federal handout and go talk to your Mayor who is not only destroying your business but also the city with her ridiculous vaccination IDs and COVID restrictions
Do carry out and lower those inflated ass prices!
Maybe it’s time to rise up and oppose the mandates. If 50,000+ truckers can do it so can the restaurant industry. Rick_Bayless convoytoottawa2022
Lori Lightfoot is saving me so much money!
80% of restaurants fail under 5 years before covid….
Is JB actually getting fatter?
Lori, Kim and JB the Hutt are going to destroy all of Chicago.
People learned to cooked during the pandemic
You don’t need Federal relief. You need an entirely new city government.
I know what to do.... Live your lives. Like we did before. It's very simple. List all restrictions, mandates, and bullshit and live your damn lives.
Rick_Bayless Rick_Bayless The mandates need to end.
Rick_Bayless Do carry out only and stop charging astronomical prices for a hamburger
Rick_Bayless Help end this pandemic Covaxin has been administered to 130 mil, including pregnant women & children(in trials), w/no deaths & no major adverse reactions. It’s WHO approved, in use in 17 countries, recognized by 100+
Rick_Bayless 💡We need to consider this vaccine—a whole virus traditional one that may add more protection versus variants (watch the🎥 why) & mRNA-vaccine-hesitant folks can be comfortable with. ➡️The FDA should honestly authorize COVAXIN—EUA app submitted & waiting.
Rick_Bayless I OWN THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE WORLD BE CAREFULL DO NOT CUT OR SLICE AT A HIGH SPEED BEING A CHEFF COMES WITH THE TEARATORIE BUT SLICED MY FINGER LAST NIGHT KNIVES TO DAM SHARP LOL
Rick_Bayless Need to life the mask mandates. Gov has no damn business stickin their fat ass in between an interaction between a restaurant and a customer.
Rick_Bayless I don't know why restauranteers find 'pivoting' so hard. I read about a Houston nightclub owner who was forced to shut down and lose money. Know what he did? He rehabbed his nightclub into a grocery store - gourmet grocery store. With packaged meal kits. See? Fixed it.
Rick_Bayless MEMO: To Rick Bayless Business for Chicago restaurants is down 50% while business for restaurants in open states such as Florida is up. Instead of asking for Federal funds, how about you telling the Mayor to get rid of proof of vaccination and other ridiculous restrictions.
Rick_Bayless Luckily all the “Celebrity Chefs” took all the RRF. 5% of the restaurants awarded took 35% of the funds. ….HOW?
Rick_Bayless Um end any and all restrictions and mandates now. Pretty simple
Rick_Bayless lol I dunno maybe don't outlaw patronizing your restaurant for hundreds of thousands of people. Dude here is blaming omicron because he wants a bailout and knows that's what federal and state overlords want to hear. How does the boot taste, Rick?