Chicago recently raised indoor dining capacity to 40 percent, or 50 people per room, whichever is fewer. Some restaurants say that’s not enough.
Michelle Durpetti, owner of Gene & Georgetti, breaks it down: To stay stable and pay vendors, payroll, bills, etc., Gene & Georgetti needs to make $10,000-$12,000 a night. The average check per person is $68. It used to seat 500-700 people on a weekend night. That's down to 135 with the capacity limits so roughly $9,200. |
498 of Cook County's 13,230 restaurants closed between June 1 and Sept. 20, according to RestaurantData.com. During that time, 133 opened. |
171,000 people work in the city's restaurant and hospitality industry as of the end of September, according to the Illinois Restaurant Association. |