Small business owners thrilled for normalcy and crowds for St. Patrick's weekend
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's St. Patrick's Day festivities are back on this weekend after two years off – with COVID restrictions gone, masks off, and crowds returning.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported Friday, it is all undeniably a welcomed sight for small business in the city – with a sense of normalcy again at last.
And for our small businesses, it all means so much more.
At The Dearborn, at 145 N. Dearborn St. downtown, Guinness is not the only thing on tap for the weekend.
"The energy, the air feels better - just to see and hear the hustle and bustle again," said owner Amy Lawless.
The restaurant has prepared a full menu of Irish favorites – along with beer and whiskey, and a lot of unrestricted celebration.
"It's a double celebration this year," Lawless said.
Lawless opened the restaurant with her sister back in 2016. For them, hospitality runs in the family - and St. Patrick's Day means more than green beer.
"We're very proud of our Irish roots," Lawless said. "We grew up in Galway. We grew up in the restaurant business with our parents."
After a rough couple years, and a continued slowdown in the city's central business district, a full restaurant is an emotional sight for Lawless.
"It was really hard. Just to see everyone back, it's an emotional time for us," she said. "We didn't know if we would have our doors open, to be honest with you."
Lawless said they noticed a pickup when the city dropped COVID restrictions a couple weeks ago.
"We need it right now," she said.
That tone is echoed by Michael Jacobson, president of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association.
"Within minutes of the mayor announcing the sunset of vaccine passports and mask mandates in Chicago, our hotels' phones rally started ringing," Jacobson said.
This past January, Chicago was the worst-performing market of any major city in the country when it comes to occupancy rates. But the Hotel and Lodging Association has already noticed an uptick in bookings for this weekend.
"We've seen over 21,000 people that worked in hotels across the state still laid off as of today," Jacobson said, "so a weekend like this helps jumpstart not only the industry, but the lax economy."
Now, with the city celebrating again, Chicago businesses are ready for crowds and all the green that comes with them.
"Everyone in the industry really gears up and is excited for making money this weekend, so they're excited for the crowds back and to celebrate again," Lawless said.
The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection issued a reminder to Chicago bars and other liquor establishments about the rules:
All our liquor laws will be strictly enforced, and the City will inspect liquor establishments for compliance during the holiday weekend.
BACP is committed to the highest level of public safety and works closely with several City departments to ensure safe and legal operations at businesses throughout the city.
As St. Patrick's Day approaches, the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) wants to stress the importance of following liquor laws during St. Patrick's Day festivities. St. Patrick's Day is typically a time for larger crowds at bars and restaurants and BACP wants to ensure workers and patrons celebrate responsibly. BACP requests liquor licensees comply with public safety protocols and regulations governing the service of alcohol and cooperation with all City agencies in their effort to monitor and control any liquor and public safety violations.
BACP advises liquor licensees that Daylight Savings Time will begin at 2:00am on March 13, 2022. Liquor Licensees must close by 3:00 a.m. local daylight saving time on March 13, 2022, meaning no extra hour of operation is permitted.
Additional helpful information includes:
- Establishments cannot sell tickets to a St. Patrick's Day event if they do not have a PPA license.
- No alcohol is permitted on the public way without the proper license or permit.
- Cocktails-to-go must be in tamper evident, sealed containers with no straw or drinking holes. Cocktails-to-go cannot be consumed on the public way.
- Liquor licensees are expected to strictly monitor the area in and around the licensed premises and are required to report all illegal activity by calling 911.
- It is a violation sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 or anyone who is intoxicated. Staff should be trained to properly check photo identification.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications emphasized that it will also be monitoring events that draw crowds.
"Chicago's St. Patrick's Day celebrations return this weekend bringing crowds and street closures. The Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) reminds the public of large crowds and security measures in place for the weekend events. OEMC stresses the importance of always being aware of surroundings and reporting suspicious activity to onsite event security or call 911.
"Chicago will have citywide deployments for the St. Patrick's Day Weekend to ensure the safety and security of the public. OEMC will monitor weekend events and weather conditions citywide from the Operations Center and coordinate public safety resources with the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and City of Chicago infrastructure departments."
The Chicago Police Department said it "remains vigilant, ensuring everybody has a safe and enjoyable time at this weekend's festivities," but will not discuss any specific patrol or deployment plans.