How Chicago’s Black and Latino Restaurant Owners are Persevering Amid Challenges
December 17, 2024 | 1 min to read
Sergio Reyes is facing significant stress as he prepares to reopen his Pilsen restaurant after a four-year break, grappling with legal disputes over his new patio's bar placement. Rising attorney and architectural fees threaten his budget for essentials like food and liquor. Much like Carmy Berzatto from the series “The Bear,” Reyes feels the urgency to launch his restaurant quickly to begin generating sales while managing staffing and menu development challenges.
Sergio Reyes is stressed. He’s preparing to reopen his Pilsen restaurant after a four-year hiatus. He’s in a dispute with the city of Chicago over the placement of a bar on the new patio. Attorney and architecture fees are eating into his capital to buy food and liquor.
“That’s what’s keeping me up at night,” Reyes says, “along with creating menus, hiring staff, getting the right people to work with us and having them understand the culture of our restaurant.”
Just like Carmy Berzatto, the ambitious chef-owner in the Emmy Award-winning TV series “The Bear,” Reyes needs to get the restaurant open as soon as possible to start generating sales.
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