Rick Bayless, Chicago chef and restauranteur said the reopening will breathe much-needed life to a deflated industry. I will tell you there were so many people on our staff here that were actually in tears when our first customers came back in, Bayless said, who is the owner and chef at Frontera Grill.
His staff has been tracking regional COVID-19 positivity rates in anticipation of getting customers back indoors. When the rumors started swirling around our staff that it was going to be able to happen, there was a spike in everybody s eyes to be able to know that we re going to be able to do what we do best once again and that s an exciting thing for us in the hospitality profession, said Casey Cora, Frontera Grill spokesperson.
With Chicago and suburban Cook County "on track" to lift Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions on Saturday and resume indoor dining, many restaurants spent Friday getting ready for customers.