Chicago sees new push to bring back winter outdoor dining, and restaurants say it would be a win
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Year-round outdoor dining is a trend that picked up during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic – and many Chicagoans want to keep it.
There is a renewed push from the city to allow some bars and restaurants to keep their patios open as the weather gets colder. But business owners told CBS 2's Jermont Terry it is not that simple.
On a chilly November night in Fulton Market, you'll find plenty of people out – along with plenty of options for places to eat and drink.
Yet over at Cruz Blanca and Leña Brava, the brewery/taqueria and restaurant founded by Rick Bayless at 900-904 W. Randolph St., you can't hang out on the streetside patio anymore.
"I would have loved to have kept it going," said Cruz Blanca and Leña Brava manager Brian Enyart.
But the snow Tuesday placed an end to the brewery and restaurant's streetside option.
"We had to break down the patio because it's the first of November, so the patio season is over, officially," Enyart said.
Yet if Mayor Brandon Johnson gets his way, he would like to see outdoor seating stick around year-round.
"This ordinance is a no-brainer, because it's not only supported by businesses - it's supported by consumers as well," said Mayor Johnson.
Enyart said year-round outdoor dining would work out well for everyone.
"That would really extend our seating capacity. That would make things a lot more sustainable, especially in colder months of Chicago here," he said. "So something like that – especially in the West Loop and on Randolph and this street in particular – would just be a really huge benefit to all the restaurants here."
And while the outdoor street dining is advantageous for the businesses, the reality of it all takes away from prime parking for the people pulling up.
"I see both sides," said patron Suma Shah. "I think personally, I don't like to eat when I'm freezing - but I would absolutely go when it's more pleasant out."
Indeed, patrons are mixed on hanging out these days in a tent just to eat or drink.
"It had it's time and place when we needed more seating, but now I feel like I'm cozier inside," said patron Colleen Byrne.
And while chefs are cooking inside, the burners will have to burn outside if there is to be outdoor dining in the winter. Yet it's a cost not every business can bear.
But those who can believe it's worth it.
"There's like an infrastructure that you need to have – the fuel that you need for the heaters, the heaters themselves, extra staff and all that," said Enyart. "But at the end of the day, we're in the business of serving people – so the more people, the better is for everybody."
The City Council still has to vote on this year-round street dining measure.