(The Center Square) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing to make rules allowing restaurants to serve customers outside the establishment that were put in place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic permanent as part of an overall effort to help keep them afloat during his first term.
Restaurants, bars and cafes would all be allowed to take advantage of the rules being proposed by serving customers outside their establishments, which include requiring street closures if three or more establishments join forces.
In 2020 under then Mayor Lori Lightfoot, city officials officially launched the pilot program by closing off as many as six streets around the city and opening the door for restaurants to expand their operations, all while adhering to socially distanced, outdoor seating options that were then in place.
A few months later in 2021, Lightfoot moved to expand the program as the pandemic and its impact continued to be felt.
The Chicago City Council’s License and Consumer Protection Committee is now set to hear more of Johnson’s plan this week, with passage by the committee potentially opening the door for the measure, which already has the endorsement of the Illinois Restaurant Association, to go before the full City Council for a final vote also as early as this week.
Restaurants interested in expanding operations would be required to apply for an outside permit and have the support of the ward’s alderperson in making the move. Taverns and bars are eligible to apply for the permits after partnering with a restaurant to offer its services to their patrons.
Outdoor dining rules expired at the end of 2022 and efforts by Lightfoot to extend them stalled after she refused to give City Council members power over issuing the permits and also declined to automatically review permits issued in 2022.
In deciding to keep the rule known as aldermanic prerogative in place, Johnson has been able to quickly gain support within the City Council and move his proposal through the Chamber.