Sun-Times file
Noise. Trays full of drinks skillfully navigating crowded rooms. Live music.
Bar and restaurant owners took a few minutes Thursday to express their joy that the sounds and sights they took for granted prior to the coronavirus pandemic will be returning, beginning Friday, as the state lifts social distancing and capacity mandates.
“It’s extremely exciting,” said Jodi Agee, owner of the Jefferson Tap in the West Loop. “I’m actually near tears. It was really hard for everybody. ... We’re at the end of the tunnel, the light is here.”
Len DeFranco, owner of Hawkeye’s Bar & Grill in Little Italy, was eager to once again host diners who could sit down and relax without fear.