Not so fast: Chicago restaurants won’t be ready to reopen for outdoor dining on May 29, mayor says

Chicago Sun Times ^ | May 21, 2020 | Fran Spielman

[SJackson]

“We’re close. But, we’re not there yet,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a Thursday news conference. “I don’t think we’re gonna be ready by May 29. But, my hope is that soon in June, we will be ready.”

Gov. Pritzker is allowing Illinois restaurants to open for outdoor dining on May 29. But Chicago won’t be taking advantage of it — at least not yet.

“I don’t think we’re gonna be ready by May 29. But my hope is that soon in June, we will be ready,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday.

Lightfoot said there is “nothing magic about” May 29. It’s the date that Pritzker’s statewide, stay-at-home order expires. But Chicago “has its own responsibilities and obligations to craft public health policies that are specific to the city.”

“I was heartened by the comments that the governor made … about restaurants. But we’ve got to do it safely. I need to understand and be certain that restaurants across the city — not just the big ones, not just the ones that have a lot of cash flow, but the small ones, too — have a means to protect their employees and members of the public that will patronize them,” Lightfoot said.

The mayor said she’s working on plans to make outdoor dining more lucrative by closing streets and sidewalks and allowing restaurants to set up tables in the adjacent outdoor parking lots. All that takes time to arrange.

It may also require the city to alter CTA bus routes and pay compensation for meters taken out of service to the consortium that famously leased those meters from the city.

[SJackson]

“The other piece of it — and this is a conversation we have to have with the state—no restaurant I know of is gonna be able to survive, depending upon what the weather is gonna be like on a particular day in Chicago,” she said.

Presuming the Governor maintains restrictions until a vaccine and/or cure is approved, the Mayor is right. Eating outdoors in the snow is more of a Colorado thing. Besides, Chicago don't need no stinken restaurants.

[kiryandil]

Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as a partner at Mayer Brown and held various government positions in the City of Chicago.

Is there ANY problem that lawyer/politician economics can't solve?

    

[butlerweave]

Outside is bad ,you’ll find out everything is OK

[kiryandil]

Lawyer economics: "Give me some money from your money tree in your backyard, or my guys with magic suits and guns will MAKE you give me the money."

[SJackson]

Illinois Restaurants Can Reopen for Outdoor Dining on May 29 [except Chicago]

[EC Washington]

Great news - Hopefully Lighthead keeps everything on super tight lockdown until November. Her inept running of the city could finally start a revolution and have the peasants in the streets.

[SJackson]

Some of the peasants are already in the streets, thus the increase in murders despite the lockdown.

[Larry Lucido]

Needs to get her hair done first.

[RetiredTexasVet]

Guess there will be none of that White Privilege dining in Chicago.