South Cook News

The City of Chicago recently issued two citations to an alderman’s restaurant after several customers were allowed to dine inside in violation of state COVID-19 restrictions prohibiting indoor dining.

According to NBC 5 News, Chicago’s Ann Sather restaurant, owned by Alderman Tom Tunney, received two citations and could face hefty fines up to $10,500. The establishment will have to appear before a hearing.

Tunney admitted that he occasionally allowed "regular diners" to dine inside his restaurant, calling it an "error in judgment" and saying it "won't happen again."

“On a sporadic basis, we have allowed a very limited number of our regular diners to eat inside the restaurant while observing social distancing and mask-wearing rules," Tunney said in a statement. 

Local authorities became aware of the violations after the Second City Cop blog wrote about a restaurant called "Stan Rather" that was allowing certain guests access to a special "VIP" room for indoor dining. Photos of the diners in the restaurant were included on the post.

"Our COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions apply to every single individual and establishment in Chicago so that we can further ensure the health and safety of our residents," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. "Any business found in violation of these guidelines has been and will be held fully accountable. No exceptions."

The city issued orders closing indoor dining late October as part of increased COVID-19 mitigations imposed by the state. 

"I feel terrible for the law-abiding bar and restaurant owners that there are others out there trying to take advantage of the public and get them sick," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said when asked about Tunney during a daily coronavirus update.

Since Dec. 3, the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection has cited seven establishments for violating COVID-19 regulations.