Also, countless people continue working from home or in a hybrid model that has them out earlier, even in the middle of the day with a laptop while working. Most obvious are pandemic restrictions, which had bars and restaurants closed or limited for indoor business for parts of more than a year, which bred new habits that haven’t gone away with a return to normal operations. Michael Roper, owner of Hopleaf bar and restaurant just south of Andersonville, called it “a perfect storm of a lot of things that have dried up that late-night business.” People come in, they’re drunk and hungry.”īut many bar and restaurant operators see a change in consumer habits and are mostly left to guess why. “Once the bars built back up, so did we,” Aiello said. And Cyndee Aiello, general manager of Griddle 24 on the Near North Side, said the restaurant remains “constantly busy at night” thanks mostly to the bar next door. The classic 24-hour joints appear less impacted.Ī manager at the White Palace Grill south of the Loop said overnight business remains strong. “I hate not doing it, and I don’t know if someday we will, but if you commit to do it, you’ve got to be in it for the long haul - and you might lose a buttload of money waiting for it to come back.” “We’re kicking ass and it’s wonderful, but I’m still scared to go late,” Jemilo said. They just don’t want to see it as late as they used to. A recent weekend saw lines around the corner, and bands got standing ovations from people who seemed thrilled to see live jazz, Jemilo said. The irony, he said, is that business is thriving. “One o’clock is about it, and when we give last call, it’s not hard getting people out - they’re pretty much done,” Jemilo said. The Green Mill shifted to its current earlier hours because “it just wasn’t happening and the writing was on the wall,” he said. Instead, he saw customers filtering out by 1 a.m. Once business ramped back up during summer 2021, Green Mill owner Dave Jemilo said, he assumed customers were ready to resume their old habits. Before the pandemic, the Green Mill never closed before 4 a.m., operating solely as a late-night bar five days a week. on weekends, closes Sunday through Thursday shortly after 1 a.m., and at 2 a.m. In a particularly jarring example for Chicago’s old-school night owls, the Green Mill, an Uptown jazz club once swinging until 5 a.m. Jen Scarlato, center left, and Kayla Klammer, center right, hang out with friends at the Long Room on Irving Park Road at Ashland Avenue in Chicago on Oct.
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