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Now they’re hit with a renewed restriction — shutting down dining rooms again — that will cost them more significant revenue. This is devastating to a backbone of Illinois’ economy.
“All I can say is that there are a lot of tears in this place,” restaurateur Rick Bayless told the Tribune. He fears for the future of his operation, which includes Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, two of Chicago’s premier restaurants. “We didn’t know if we could make it to the end of the year anyway, and this will about cinch it.”
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Like many employers, Pete Bournas of Psistaria Greek Taverna in Lincolnwood has endured a lifetime’s worth of turmoil since COVID-19 hit, but he also has risen to the challenge to protect his family business, his workers and customers. Psistaria serves delicious Greek fare (we’re fans). He had just reopened after remodeling when the pandemic forced him to close. He shifted the business model to takeout food and then added a large tent in the parking lot for outdoor summer dining. Business was finally humming again with socially distant dining indoors — and then came Pritzker’s order this week to close his dining room.
“I worry about the restaurant. I worry about my employees,” he tells us. “I have 40 people on staff that I’m going to have to juggle days and make sure they can put food on their own table. I’m extremely worried, but I try not to show it."
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