Save for our favorite sandwich joint Standing Room Only (which was done in by looting), the small businesses in our neighborhood are hanging on. Even the restaurants are eking by. So far.
In Chicago, bars that don’t serve food were closed by city order. Establishments with licenses to serve food have been allowed to stay open, mostly for take-out. Restaurants with sidewalk patios can continue to serve outdoors. And restaurants that have large windows can seat people at tables immediately adjacent to those open windows.
It’s December, and well, yes, our friends and neighbors are bundling up and dining
TGIF in Chicago, 2020
and imbibing al fresco or nearly al fresco.
Dining out—even outside–is a calculated risk in these times. But it’s a risk some people have been willing to take, carefully and masked, of course. Not only for mental health, but to support the proprietors of the businesses that help make our neighborhood our neighborhood.
People like the owners of Half Sour: Liz, Emily, and Jesse. They opened up only a couple years ago. Opening a restaurant/bar is a tight-rope walk without a net, but this trio has done a great job of adapting on the fly. By the start of this year, they already had a loyal, steady clientele of regulars, and they were keeping their special events space rolling.
And then, COVID. (Jesse once remarked to Emily: “What are the chances that we’d open a restaurant and then a pandemic would strike?” To which their 6-year-old son replied, “100 percent dad. Because it just did.”)
At places like Half Sour and other restaurants on and around our block, fire-pit tables and propane heaters have become commonplace. As have vented tents. And people are using them. And the businesses are going through propane, fast.
Liz is the propane manager at Half Sour. “I love going to the propane place,” she said the other day. She found a place on the near South Side that refills them, and they’re cheap. It’s open from 7:00 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day and does a brisk business. Ours is apparently not the only neighborhood that craves fire these days. Liz says vehicles line up with empty tanks on board, and they leave ready to burn.
The dark side is that it’s burning fossil fuels. But in the big scheme of things, COVID has reduced greenhouse gases, and the patio burners are a drop in the bucket.
And right now, we gotta do what we can do.
One of the first things I noticed about Chicagoans after moving here from Houston was that they are tough. Especially when it comes to socializing, weather is rarely of concern. And eating out is a popular sport. I must get out my hat and scarf and hit the neighborhood….
A taste of reality!
Sitting around the fire telling stories- always a good time! Glad that your small businesses are finding ways to stay in business. And I know they appreciate your patronage!! Whatever it takes!
There’s light at the end of the tunnel–just worried about the next month or two. Health care workers are stretched.
Thanks for doing your part to keep the local establishments open. A visit to the city is on the top of my post Covid activities list.
It’s a cold job but someone has to do it! Look forward to your visit.
I wrote about eating out last week too. How many of us are there, do you suppose?
In our hood a fair number judging from what I see on walks. The wine shop has outdoor seating and heaters and regularly has a couple tables filled. Sofi, the terrific Italian place in our building, has a vented tent.
I always love your writing. The bit about propane was interesting. Who knew that could be a good business during a pandemic. And, this is the first time I heard of a propane manager as a career. Wow.
I was being a little facetious about “propane manager,” but Liz is in charge of the supply. And she likes it!
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