The owners of a restaurant on Chicago’s Riverwalk say they’re being forced to walk away after the city didn’t renew their contract, raising the ire of officials.
Alds. Daniel LaSpata and Gilber Villegas held a press conference Wednesday to raise questions about the city’s permitting practices on the Riverwalk after the owners of the Beat Kitchen restaurant say their contract wasn’t renewed.
Roberto Gomez, a co-owner of the space, said that his group had invested more than $600,000 in the space, but now after just three uninterrupted years, he said the city opted not to renew their contract without an explanation.
“We built this patio from nothing,” he said. “We had to figure out water, electricity, everything.”
Beat Kitchen had signed a five-year contract with the city, but saw COVID shutter their business for two summers.
Since reopening for the 2022 season, they had hired 50 employees each season, operating between April and November.
Now, that business will no longer hold a space on the Riverwalk, and the lack of information from City Hall is frustrating some officials.
“The city’s vendor selection process needs a major overhaul,” Villegas said. “Right now, how vendors are chosen – especially in high-traffic areas like the Riverwalk – lacks transparency, clear criteria and any meaningful way to appeal. This impacts businesses that have invested significant money.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about the situation during an interview with NBC Chicago’s Alex Maragos on Wednesday.
“I do know there are a lot of conversations that are being had, not around just this issue but businesses in general,” he said before saying an official would reach out to NBC with more information.
The station has not received a statement on the matter as of the time this story aired.
According to city documents, the Riverwalk concession process is open to all vendors, with a focus on attracting minority and women-owned businesses.
While the city promotes the Riverwalk as a space for all Chicagoans, the owners of Beat Kitchen say they’re still waiting for answers.
“We’re the only Latino-owned business here,” Gomez said. “Everyone else is staying. Why not us? Enough is enough.”
Beat Kitchen still operates a location in the 2100 block of West Belmont, according to its website.
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