Tag: asked

A version of this post originally appeared on September 9, 2024, in Eater and Punch’s newsletter Pre Shift, a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world. Subscribe now for more stories like this.

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While Chicago’s public transit system isn’t as reliable as New York’s, it’s not as scarce as LA’s. Last year, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) provided 279 million rides, many of which were for hospitality staff, getting them to and from their place of employment. The Bear found a friend in the CTA, and for three seasons, the FX-produced TV show has relied on the city’s public transit system for plenty of footage, showing Chicago’s famous elevated train system, the El. Much of Season 3, Episode 6 is spent showing Tina Marrero (played by Liza Colón-Zayas) relying on trains and buses during her frantic job search.

But the CTA has drawn much ire in recent years. Low-wage workers like Tina rely on the system, but the city’s network of buses and trains hasn’t proved worthy. That’s especially true on the South and West sides, areas where the network doesn’t fully extend. For example, restaurant owners in Hyde Park, a South Side neighborhood where the University of Chicago is located, have shared that it’s been challenging to lure experienced hospitality workers. They’d rather work on the North Side, where there are more restaurants and it’s easier to get home at night.

While many restaurant workers also depend on their cars for their daily commute, despite Lake Michigan’s infamous spine-chilling winter winds, the city has its share of all-season cyclists, too. We connected with restaurant staff about their commute, talking about convenience, parking, and the power of bike lanes.

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Nick Fochtman

Name: Diana Dávila, chef and owner, Mi Tocaya Antojería
Length of commute: Two miles
Mode: Bike

“I have been a biker for — it’s crazy — the past 20 years. The first place I started biking was [now-closed] Butter. When I moved to D.C., I biked to work… I remember the bike rides when there weren’t bike lanes and I would take different routes, and that was part of the fun, finding which ways to take.

“It’s funny, I never nerded out about bikes. I would just go into the bike store and pick out which one looked nice. Shit, I’ve never been depressed, I’ve always been a super positive person, as a default. But once I didn’t feel like getting out of bed and I didn’t want to see anybody… Those 10-minute rides made such a big difference. It is a service to myself and is 100 percent a stress de-escalator at work for me — open air and sunlight or moonlight.

“Most of our employees live super close, and not everyone has cars. Cars eat income, which is why so many of us cooks ride bikes! Cars are a big responsibility, with permits, parking, insurance, tickets. Bike riding, scooting, and carpooling are great solutions. Just like what we used to do in school.”

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Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Name: Rishi Manoj Kumar, chef, Mirra
Length of commute: Two blocks
Mode: Walking

“The market to find apartments right now is horrible. The Bucktown neighborhood was hard, but I just kept searching and searching, and then suddenly, one day, I found what I’m living in now. It’s a block behind Mirra. It was a duplex and a duplex at two grand. Shit, this is unheard of in Chicago. So even before looking at it, I knew the proximity, I knew what it would bring for my peace of mind, like avoiding the traffic and even being able to go in on my days off. I can just walk through the restaurant and just check on things while I’m walking my dog, you know. And that proximity gives you so much freedom mentally, too. So it’s pretty dope.

“Avoiding a bad commute gives you a peace of mind coming to work. Otherwise you spend so much time getting ready, or getting stuck in traffic, like, ‘Oh shit, I’m stuck, I’m an hour late because of something like Lollapalooza going downtown.’ It takes forever to get downtown. For me, I worked eight years downtown, like, just getting to work meant preparing an extra 45 minutes just to make sure I’m turning up on time. That mental burden is gone once you can just, like, wake up, change, go to work in two minutes. It’s a whole different lifestyle.”

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Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Name: Billy Zureikat, pop-up chef, Tripping Billy
Length of commute: Varies
Mode: Car

“I drive everywhere. I don’t take public transportation anymore because it’s just too hard to navigate crowds. I got invited to the Windy City Smokeout and I’m like, ‘I’m gonna pass on that.’ It’s just too hard navigating with a cane [having limb girdle muscular dystrophy]. In an electric car, if I take my foot off the gas, the car will come to a straight-up complete stop. It regenerates your brakes, saving and repowering the battery, and is wonderful for me because I don’t have to pick up my legs and move around as much… It’s so much more comfortable and I feel safer when I drive.

“I have to allow myself more time. There’s a big lack of available parking, especially accessible parking. I’m not trying to walk three or four blocks to get to a pizzeria to do a pop-up. I’m going to circle that block for a while until I find a spot that’s fairly close, because many times I have to carry lots of equipment. And I can’t walk multiple blocks carrying a bunch of heavy things, so I have to allow myself time to get parking.

“I work remotely, so I can do my day job from anywhere. And that allows me the freedom to do these collaborations and pop-ups where I can go in the mid-morning, middle of the day — when it’s maybe a little quieter, traffic-wise — to get something done, or I can do it later in the evening. I have flexibility, and because I have a disability, my body has kind of changed over the years.”

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Chris Peters/Eater Chicago

Name: Gustavo Lopez, food runner, Obélix
Length of commute: Five miles
Mode: Bike

“Recently, I got a Divvy [bikeshare] membership. I dragged my heels about it, but I thought, I’ll get it for the gimmick, because those e-bikes really interested me. I hopped on one, like, ‘Oh, wow. This is amazing.’ There’s so much power in those electric bikes. Since then, I’ve been on Divvy for about three years. The docking stations are sprawled all over the city, so it’s very convenient. I can get to my destination within minutes.

“If you want to bike [to the restaurant], and you’re chronically late, it’s more of a time management issue. I’m giving you a little leeway, but if you’re not here at the set time you’re supposed to be, then it just ruins the flow with the rest of the team. It doesn’t matter what the position is: server, expediter, food runner… We just pick up plates and just clear the table. The servers have to pick up the slack. It does add up. If there’s an event with traffic, I’m usually pretty vigilant about checking the news on Facebook and Instagram. I’ll avoid the busy streets. But, you know, you always have residual traffic. Thank God for bike lanes.”