Chicago’s Indoor Dining Capacity Expanded to 40 Percent

City officials announced today that bars, restaurants, and event venues can expand capacity to 40 percent effective immediately thanks to three straight days of new daily COVID-19 cases dropping under 400.

Large bars, restaurants, and indoor events can’t exceed 50 people, even if that is less than 40 percent of the building’s capacity. The city had previously imposed a 25 percent capacity limit but eased the restrictions after key metrics dropped.

Officials unveiled a “roadmap” to reopening last week that said they’d allow up to 40 percent capacity at bars and restaurants if the city sees three days in a row of being at moderate risk or lower. Just one metric held Chicago back from meeting that goal until today.

The easing of additional regulations, including the expansion to 50% capacity, will be possible if Chicago maintains at least the “Moderate-Risk” level in all four categories for at least two weeks. You can track the City’s progress on the reopening metrics at chi.gov/coviddash, and updated COVID-19 regulations can be found at chicago.gov/reopening.

In order to help businesses understand the new regulations, BACP will be holding a webinar Thursday, February 18, at 1:00 p.m. Register and learn more at chicago.gov/businesseducation.