Chicago's Ruth's Chris Steak House Location To Close; Hundreds Of Other Job Cuts Coming At Illinois Businesses In Near Future

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The latest Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act report said Ruth's Chris Steak House in River North will be closing for good, while seven other companies in the area will be cutting several hundred jobs between them in the weeks to come.

The report said Ruth's Chris at 431 N. Dearborn St., which shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic, will remain closed permanently.

Ruth's Chris was founded in New Orleans and is now based in Winter Park, Florida. It also has Chicago area locations in Northbrook and South Barrington.

Back in April, Ruth's Chris returned some $20 million in loan money through the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program.

A loophole allowed the large restaurant chain to receive the money meant for small business relief. After a public backlash, the chain returned the money.

Meanwhile, the WARN report announced hundreds of permanent layoffs that will take effect from Oct. 27 through Nov. 16.

Among the companies enacting layoffs is the American Hotel Register Company in Vernon Hills. The company said 313 permanent layoffs are coming, amounting to one third of the company workforce.

The company supplies all major hotel chains, and no hotel chain has been doing well during the pandemic. The layoffs at American Hotel Register Company reflect a ripple effect example of businesses downstream from struggling industries.

The multinational foodservice company Compass Group is laying off 198 employees between four operations – Chartwells Dining Services at the Noble Network of charter schools, Chartwells at DePaul University, and Restaurant Associates at the University of Chicago's Quadrangle Club. The greatest number of layoffs among those three subunits are 111 at DePaul. They will take effect between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2.

Arcosa Wind Towers, based in downstate Clinton, will enact 148 permanent layoffs on Nov. 16. National Railway Equipment Co., based in south suburban Dixmoor, will enact 24 permanent layoffs beginning Dec. 31. Nestlé USA – which has a distribution center in DeKalb – will cut 70 jobs beginning Nov. 13 as part of a reorganization that is not related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, in notices of recent layoffs, Aramark's foodservice operation at Loyola University instituted 240 permanent layoffs beginning last week.

Airport Management Services' Hudson Group, which operates book and newspaper stores at Midway and O'Hare international airports, has instituted 33 and 72 permanent layoffs at each respective airport between Aug. 31 and Oct. 1 – along with one additional employee at each location for an indefinite period that may last more than six months. The total number of jobs cut is 105.

United Airlines will institute 83 more permanent layoffs – 12 on Oct. 30 and 17 on Nov. 30.Ame

The Freeman Company, which deals in events and conferences, said it has or will be temporarily laying off 61 people sometime between Sept. 30 of this year and March 1, 2021 for a period exceeding six months. Other Freeman ventures will also institute temporary layoffs for a total of 154 jobs altogether.

Hollywood Casino Joliet is cutting 68 more jobs starting Oct. 15.