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Restaurants in the era of social distancing

Restaurants in the era of social distancing
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  • Post #361 - January 18th, 2021, 10:53 am
    Post #361 - January 18th, 2021, 10:53 am Post #361 - January 18th, 2021, 10:53 am
    nsxtasy wrote:
    RockyDennis wrote:Wrong thing to do

    I think Illinois is going about it the right way - basing any opening on objective criteria (test positivity, available hospital beds, and lack of increase in hospitalizations), while still limiting dining capacity and party size when reopening. (Perhaps you didn't bother reading the article in the link?)

    Whereas some other states have no restrictions at all, while coronavirus runs rampant...


    From what I can tell there are effectively no restrictions in the suburbs anyways. Most of the bars and restaurants in downtown Plainfield have never ceased having indoor patrons. I've seen similar reports on reddit for many other suburbs.
  • Post #362 - January 18th, 2021, 11:17 am
    Post #362 - January 18th, 2021, 11:17 am Post #362 - January 18th, 2021, 11:17 am
    smorris76 wrote:
    nsxtasy wrote:
    RockyDennis wrote:Wrong thing to do

    I think Illinois is going about it the right way - basing any opening on objective criteria (test positivity, available hospital beds, and lack of increase in hospitalizations), while still limiting dining capacity and party size when reopening. (Perhaps you didn't bother reading the article in the link?)

    Whereas some other states have no restrictions at all, while coronavirus runs rampant...


    From what I can tell there are effectively no restrictions in the suburbs anyways. Most of the bars and restaurants in downtown Plainfield have never ceased having indoor patrons. I've seen similar reports on reddit for many other suburbs.


    Several local law enforcement agency officials have gone on record that they will not be enforcing COVID-19 mitigation efforts. If our government had done more to support residents and small businesses during this crisis, I would like to think there would be less obstinance, but for many of these business owners, closing indefinitely would almost certainly lead to permanent closure not to mention the wage loss experienced by their staff, who now have to endanger themselves to serve those who still think dining out indoors is okay. I've heard that overall tipping percentages are down and the percentage of problematic guests has increased dramatically as more principled people are staying home.
  • Post #363 - January 19th, 2021, 3:22 pm
    Post #363 - January 19th, 2021, 3:22 pm Post #363 - January 19th, 2021, 3:22 pm
    Inconsistent or absent enforcement is enabling violators.
    https://apple.news/AQ2A1ZRWjTQKoqu0M_h7ChQ
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #364 - January 23rd, 2021, 10:05 am
    Post #364 - January 23rd, 2021, 10:05 am Post #364 - January 23rd, 2021, 10:05 am
    Chicago and suburban Cook County are officially open for indoor dining for the first time since late October under coronavirus pandemic restrictions, officials said Saturday morning.

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavi ... 7#nws=true
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #365 - January 23rd, 2021, 10:47 am
    Post #365 - January 23rd, 2021, 10:47 am Post #365 - January 23rd, 2021, 10:47 am
    Dave148 wrote:
    Chicago and suburban Cook County are officially open for indoor dining for the first time since late October under coronavirus pandemic restrictions, officials said Saturday morning.

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavi ... 7#nws=true


    Not a smart idea
  • Post #366 - January 23rd, 2021, 12:07 pm
    Post #366 - January 23rd, 2021, 12:07 pm Post #366 - January 23rd, 2021, 12:07 pm
    RockyDennis wrote:Not a smart idea

    I think Illinois is going about it the right way - basing any opening on objective criteria (test positivity, available hospital beds, and lack of increase in hospitalizations), while still limiting dining capacity and party size when reopening. (Perhaps you didn't bother reading the article in the link?)

    Whereas some other states have no restrictions at all, while coronavirus runs rampant...

    ;)
  • Post #367 - February 12th, 2021, 4:57 pm
    Post #367 - February 12th, 2021, 4:57 pm Post #367 - February 12th, 2021, 4:57 pm
    Pizza Was the Restaurant Hero of 2020
    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/busi ... ticleShare
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #368 - March 21st, 2021, 12:34 pm
    Post #368 - March 21st, 2021, 12:34 pm Post #368 - March 21st, 2021, 12:34 pm
    Hi- I get an email from the city of Evanston with the latest info on the pandemic and the status of the vaccine distribution. It comes out on Thursdays. In the latest one, they mentioned that Soul and Smoke and another restaurant that I don't remember have been feeding the people who help out at the COVID vaccine clinics at the Levy center. I know Soul and Smoke have been distributing lots of free food since the pandemic started. I assume they are coming back to the Evanston farmer's market when it opens up on 5/1. It would be nice for people to purchase food from them there. Thanks, Nancy
  • Post #369 - March 21st, 2021, 12:46 pm
    Post #369 - March 21st, 2021, 12:46 pm Post #369 - March 21st, 2021, 12:46 pm
    NFriday wrote:In the latest one, they mentioned that Soul and Smoke and another restaurant that I don't remember have been feeding the people who help out at the COVID vaccine clinics at the Levy center. I know Soul and Smoke have been distributing lots of free food since the pandemic started. I assume they are coming back to the Evanston farmer's market when it opens up on 5/1. It would be nice for people to purchase food from them there.

    The other restaurant pictured in the city e-mail doing so is Ovo Frito Cafe, the breakfast/brunch restaurant just north of downtown Evanston:
    Image
  • Post #370 - March 22nd, 2021, 7:53 am
    Post #370 - March 22nd, 2021, 7:53 am Post #370 - March 22nd, 2021, 7:53 am
    Another standout in Evanston has been Gyros Planet and Taqueria at 1903 Church Street near Evanston Township High School. They have given out over 25,000 meals. They announced their closure but a GoFundMe was started that raised over $60,000 for them.

    Link
    -Mary
  • Post #371 - March 22nd, 2021, 10:02 am
    Post #371 - March 22nd, 2021, 10:02 am Post #371 - March 22nd, 2021, 10:02 am
    Off the wall, but here it goes: in this age of curbside family meal pickup, I have been noticing new dimensions of foods I would never enjoyed as a leftover before. The two immediately coming to mind are tacos and Italian beef.

    In my life I can't remember having a next-day fully assembled taco or beef; these are foods to be consumed immediately, al fresco or al trunko if possible. Sure, if someone is ordering a party tray and you have leftover unassembled portions (Scala, Chipotle, what have you), you grumblingly microwave the tortilla or toast the stale Turano and put together a shade of the feast.

    What we are finding is - like a good Sunday gravy - assembled tacos (particularly al pastor) and beefs take on an almost de canasta unified unctuousness after sitting overnight and being reheated, while even picking up some pleasant contrast in texture like a quesabirria if heated in a pan on the stovetop. I can't say I enjoy them more than fresh, but have been actually looking forward to them as leftovers. Can't personally picture this with a through-the-garden dog, but it works with the already wetter and oilier species of Chicago chow without quickly-wiltable veg.

    An inveterate same-day consumer, I've been warming to everything from Pepin-ing old baguettes to the frying pan method for leftover 'za. The restaurants do such a good job of delivering things at peak-freshness (given, this often a preserved / deviled / corned cuisine we inhabit) that ordering extra and enjoying the next day has been a satisfying new rhythm without reducing enjoyment, at least in our household.

    I'd be interested as always in new ways anyone else is relating to restaurants / food from out generally in this past year, particularly anything that might be lasting. I'm humbled and amazed by the job the restaurants that have stuck it out have been able to do.
  • Post #372 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:09 pm
    Post #372 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:09 pm Post #372 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:09 pm
    Is anyone here actually eating at a sit down restaurant since the governor has allowed them to open? I am not sure if the limit is 25% capacity or 50% now. I have only ate inside a restaurant twice since the pandemic started, and both times it was the same Panera bread on Touhy. Both times the drive up was way busier than the sit down was, and the sit down was less than 25% of capacity. Both times I had to visit my doctor in Lincolnwood, and I had to fast, and so I was hungry when I got there. I don't know if I am ready to go with a group of friends, unless it is outside. I have gotten take out coffee a few times too and drank it outside

    I just got my second shot on Thursday though, and so things might change in a few weeks though.
  • Post #373 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:17 pm
    Post #373 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:17 pm Post #373 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:17 pm
    I have an Ikea question for those people who visit the Schaumburg store? I bought a down comforter there 20 years ago that I love, but the stuffing is falling out, and I need a new one. In a couple of weeks when my second COVID shot kicks in, I am tempted to go out to the Schaumburg store to pick up a new one. From what I have heard, the crowds are a lot smaller on weekdays than they are on the weekends, and you should not go there when they first open up at 9:00am. I love their Swedish meatballs though. Does anybody know if their restaurant is open now, and how bad the crowds are there at the restaurant?
  • Post #374 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:18 pm
    Post #374 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:18 pm Post #374 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:18 pm
    Outside, now that the weather is nice sure.
    The only thing I've eaten inside is an Italian Beef at an otherwise-empty stand with a large, airy dining area. Nobody else was there until I was about to leave, or I'd have taken it to go.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #375 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:32 pm
    Post #375 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:32 pm Post #375 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:32 pm
    NFriday-

    Have you looked at the IKEA website which says the Schaumburg restaurant is open for takeaway only?

    https://www.ikea.com/us/en/stores/schaumburg/
    -Mary
  • Post #376 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:32 pm
    Post #376 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:32 pm Post #376 - March 22nd, 2021, 3:32 pm
    NFriday wrote:I am not sure if the limit is 25% capacity or 50% now.

    It's all spelled out here:

    STATE OF ILLINOIS REOPENING GUIDANCE AND MITIGATIONS

    All Regions in Phase IV, Expanded Reopening Plan
  • Post #377 - March 23rd, 2021, 6:19 am
    Post #377 - March 23rd, 2021, 6:19 am Post #377 - March 23rd, 2021, 6:19 am
    NFriday wrote:I have an Ikea question for those people who visit the Schaumburg store? I bought a down comforter there 20 years ago that I love, but the stuffing is falling out, and I need a new one. In a couple of weeks when my second COVID shot kicks in, I am tempted to go out to the Schaumburg store to pick up a new one. From what I have heard, the crowds are a lot smaller on weekdays than they are on the weekends, and you should not go there when they first open up at 9:00am. I love their Swedish meatballs though. Does anybody know if their restaurant is open now, and how bad the crowds are there at the restaurant?


    I was there 3 weeks ago, actually twice within the span of a few days. One Saturday trip and one weekday trip in the middle of the day. Obviously weekday was much less crowded. I had my order planned out ahead of time; so I stuck to the first floor, and never saw the top floor restaurant. The "fast food" restaurant on the first floor was open and as always they had their frozen meatballs for sale too.
  • Post #378 - April 27th, 2021, 8:32 am
    Post #378 - April 27th, 2021, 8:32 am Post #378 - April 27th, 2021, 8:32 am
    Restaurants, bars and food trucks can get up to $10 million in federal grants to offset pandemic-related losses.

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/business ... story.html
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #379 - April 28th, 2021, 9:15 am
    Post #379 - April 28th, 2021, 9:15 am Post #379 - April 28th, 2021, 9:15 am
    any recs for outdoor dining near the Langham hotel?
  • Post #380 - April 28th, 2021, 1:45 pm
    Post #380 - April 28th, 2021, 1:45 pm Post #380 - April 28th, 2021, 1:45 pm
    annak wrote:any recs for outdoor dining near the Langham hotel?

    If you are willing to cross the river, I think they are still closing Clark Street so restaurants on that strip can open for outdoor dining. Most of them are reservation only so you might want to look on Tock or OpenTable to see what is available. It looks like most of the LEYE spots nearby have outdoor reservations available, some with a deposit to be applied to your bill.
  • Post #381 - August 31st, 2021, 7:45 am
    Post #381 - August 31st, 2021, 7:45 am Post #381 - August 31st, 2021, 7:45 am
    McDonald's, others consider closing indoor seating amid Delta surge in U.S.

    https://www.reuters.com/business/retail ... 021-08-30/
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #382 - August 31st, 2021, 9:51 am
    Post #382 - August 31st, 2021, 9:51 am Post #382 - August 31st, 2021, 9:51 am
    Maybe McDonald's should close all of their restaurants due to the obesity epidemic. After all, obesity is a comorbidity that makes one more likely to contract Covid.

    Seriously, the one time that I have headed to McDonald's in the past two years - last month in Cincinnati, the dining room was closed. I was looking fr a place to kill an hour until the Hertz office opened.
  • Post #383 - August 31st, 2021, 10:28 am
    Post #383 - August 31st, 2021, 10:28 am Post #383 - August 31st, 2021, 10:28 am
    jlawrence01 wrote:Maybe McDonald's should close all of their restaurants due to the obesity epidemic. After all, obesity is a comorbidity that makes one more likely to contract Covid.

    Seriously, the one time that I have headed to McDonald's in the past two years - last month in Cincinnati, the dining room was closed. I was looking fr a place to kill an hour until the Hertz office opened.

    Maybe Hertz should close all their offices. After all, automobile accidents kill 40,000 people a year in this country. :twisted:
  • Post #384 - August 31st, 2021, 1:55 pm
    Post #384 - August 31st, 2021, 1:55 pm Post #384 - August 31st, 2021, 1:55 pm
    There are a few healthy items at McDonald's, but most people do not order them because they are more expensive. They used to have a semi healthy wrap that I used to order along with my senior coffee that was only $2, but they quit carrying it a few years ago. I used to go there maybe once a month to get senior coffee, but now they do not give you free refills thanks to COVID.
  • Post #385 - September 13th, 2021, 7:17 pm
    Post #385 - September 13th, 2021, 7:17 pm Post #385 - September 13th, 2021, 7:17 pm
    Restaurants’ use of plastic utensils would be limited under proposed Chicago ordinance. One critic said the measure is "masquerading as a pro-environment step."
    https://apple.news/Au3QbIio_T-WLqgQCI1UZ8Q
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #386 - October 19th, 2021, 9:25 am
    Post #386 - October 19th, 2021, 9:25 am Post #386 - October 19th, 2021, 9:25 am
    Recovery lags for South Loop restaurants without workers back in offices: ‘I don’t know if this is the new normal or not’

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #387 - October 20th, 2021, 8:38 am
    Post #387 - October 20th, 2021, 8:38 am Post #387 - October 20th, 2021, 8:38 am
    A Chicago pizzeria had to temporarily close because of the labor shortage. Its owner said it was the first time it's happened — and it cost him $5,000.
    https://www.businessinsider.com/labor-s ... ey-2021-10
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #388 - October 20th, 2021, 9:18 am
    Post #388 - October 20th, 2021, 9:18 am Post #388 - October 20th, 2021, 9:18 am
    Dave148 wrote:A Chicago pizzeria had to temporarily close because of the labor shortage. Its owner said it was the first time it's happened — and it cost him $5,000.
    https://www.businessinsider.com/labor-s ... ey-2021-10

    A pizzeria in Chicago couldn't open on Sunday because it didn't have enough staff, and the owner told CBS Chicago that it cost him about $5,000.

    "We are closed today. I simply do not have enough people to open," Dave Bonomi, the owner of Coalfire Pizza in West Town, tweeted on Sunday. "In nearly 15 years of selling pizza, this has never happened."

    Bonomi told CBS that he was struggling to find new employees during the labor shortage, and had to close the pizzeria after two staffers had called in sick.
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #389 - October 20th, 2021, 3:15 pm
    Post #389 - October 20th, 2021, 3:15 pm Post #389 - October 20th, 2021, 3:15 pm
    My auto mechanic apologized for taking longer to service my car, and mentioned that the Starbucks next door was closed three days last week because they couldn't staff the store. Starbucks!
  • Post #390 - October 20th, 2021, 4:44 pm
    Post #390 - October 20th, 2021, 4:44 pm Post #390 - October 20th, 2021, 4:44 pm
    My car was inoperable two weeks ago and when I tried to have the car jumped the next day, it would not hold a charge, and so I called up my mechanic on Dempster to see when they could get to my car so I would know when to have it towed, he said one of his mechanics was running in the Chicago marathon on Sunday, and so he would not be in the shop on Friday, and they were busy on Monday, and so Tuesday was the first day they could work on my car, and so I did not have a car for five days. It was my starter, and I needed a new battery too, even though my battery was only four months old. Yes, I am going to try to get my $175 back on my battery as soon as I find the receipt.

    There are a group of Starbuck's workers in Buffalo that are trying to unionize, and Starbuck's responded by closing two of the stores that want to form a union.

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