We break down complex business news to help you understand how money moves in Chicago and how it affects you.
Grubhub launched a new awards program Tuesday to recognize Chicago restaurants that opened during the pandemic and are still running five years later.
The “Established 2020 Awards” will “honor restaurateurs who defied the odds during the pandemic,” the Chicago-based food delivery company said in a news release.
“Opening a restaurant under normal circumstances is notoriously difficult, but those who did so in 2020 faced unprecedented challenges as they navigated closed dining rooms, ever-changing health protocols and more,” Grubhub said.
The deadline to submit online applications is April 18. Prizes will each be worth thousands of dollars. Winners will be recognized at an event in June.
Applicants for the Established 2020 Awards are not required to be existing Grubhub partners.
To be eligible, restaurants must be independently owned small businesses with a physical location in Chicago; must have filed a business license with the city of Chicago in 2020 and filed taxes as a business in 2024; must have opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2020 and be currently open and operational.
Grubhub also announced early winners of two $5,000 awards each: KFire, a Korean barbecue restaurant in Logan Square, and Doughboy’s Chicago in Greater Grand Crossing, whose menu features wings and catfish.
“The pandemic threw every obstacle our way, but giving up was never an option. We poured everything into making our dream a reality, even when the odds were stacked against us,” Ben Kim, KFire co-owner, said in a news release.
“When the pandemic hit, we weren’t just adapting every day to keep our business going — we were finding ways to feed the people who relied on us,” Nicole Fryison, co-owner of Doughboy’s, said in a news release. “Fast-forward five years, we’re still here, still grinding and still rooted in the community that was with us from Day One.”
In late March 2020, Chicago restaurants closed for dine-in services under government orders. Many struggled as business dropped precipitously when nonessential workers were ordered to stay at home.
In addition, many restaurants that opened in 2020 were ineligible for state and federal pandemic relief funds because aid programs often required proof that businesses were negatively affected by the pandemic compared to previous years.
To survive, many restaurants relied on takeout and delivery services through companies such as Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats.
