{"id":33891,"date":"2025-12-15T23:18:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/12\/15\/beat-kitchen-owner-sues-city-of-chicago-over-riverwalk-restaurant-cites-racial-bias\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T23:18:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:18:40","slug":"beat-kitchen-owner-sues-city-of-chicago-over-riverwalk-restaurant-cites-racial-bias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/12\/15\/beat-kitchen-owner-sues-city-of-chicago-over-riverwalk-restaurant-cites-racial-bias\/","title":{"rendered":"Beat Kitchen owner sues city of Chicago over Riverwalk restaurant, cites racial bias"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to the Lawsuit<\/h2>\n

The owner of Beat Kitchen said the city of Chicago forced him to lose the restaurant\u2019s Chicago Riverwalk space because of race-based discrimination during a lease renewal process, in a lawsuit filed in federal court. Robert Gomez, who also operates other restaurants such as Bar Sol at Navy Pier, said after his five-year lease expired in late 2023, the city left him in the dark. He had submitted an application last year to continue operating but was denied.<\/p>\n

Background of the Case<\/h2>\n

\u201cThey gave no explanation and no opportunity to respond,\u201d Gomez said on Monday. The lawsuit, filed last week in District Court, said the city \u201cprivately and secretly invited another vendor to submit a proposal weeks after the publicly noticed deadline.\u201d Beat Kitchen was the only business to submit a proposal by the April 2024 deadline for a concession contract at 91-95 E. Riverwalk, adjacent to the DuSable Bridge on Michigan Avenue, according to the complaint, first reported by Fox 32 Chicago.<\/p>\n

City’s Decision and Allegations of Bias<\/h2>\n

City officials chose the Black-owned business Haire\u2019s Gulf Shrimp for the Riverwalk space. When reached by phone, owner Aiesha Murff declined to comment. Along with the city of Chicago, the lawsuit names six current or former city employees of the Riverwalk committee and Haire\u2019s Gulf Shrimp. The lawsuit is seeking financial damages and to void Haire\u2019s lease. \u201cHaire\u2019s was named because they were the beneficiary,\u201d Gomez said. \u201cThere\u2019s no demand or claim against them at all. The others, the six who sat on the committee, inappropriately solicited Haire\u2019s to submit a proposal even though the deadline had passed. And then they scored them in a blatantly biased way, which is why they are being named.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allegations of Racial Bias<\/h2>\n

The complaint said city leadership has directed departments to increase opportunities for Black-owned businesses. This led the committee to award a new vendor for the Riverwalk space based on race, violating federal and state law, instead of following the city\u2019s request for proposal process. <\/p>\n

The old location of Beat Kitchen on the Chicago Riverwalk
\nTyler Pasciak LaRiviere\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

Discrepancies in Proposals<\/h2>\n

\u201cIn one area of the proposal, you have to say what you\u2019re willing to pay the city both in rent and in percentage of sales and then do the math,\u201d Gomez said. \u201cOur proposal, over 5 years, offered the city $1.4 million. [Haire\u2019s] proposal, they only filled it out for three years, offered the city $52,000. Even if you do the math for them over five years, that\u2019s $85,000. I\u2019m at $1.4 million. Two of the committee members gave them a higher score in this category, three gave us the exact same score, which is beyond ridiculous and a prime example of the bias they showed.\u201d Gomez said Haire\u2019s was originally seeking a kiosk near his Riverwalk location, which may explain why their numbers were lower. But he said the committee members, named in the lawsuit, gave the space to Haire\u2019s because departments were asked to increase opportunities for Black-owned businesses.<\/p>\n

Previous Attempts to Address the Issue<\/h2>\n

Before filing the lawsuit, Gomez said he attempted to publicly fight for his cause, writing an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune on April 29 that said the Riverwalk selection process is shrouded in secrecy and needs to be reformed. He wrote another op-ed on Oct. 17, announcing that he filed a lawsuit. While the original lawsuit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Gomez said it was refiled last week in federal court because the Riverwalk is federally funded.<\/p>\n

City’s Response<\/h2>\n

Chicago Department of Law spokesperson Kristen Cabanban said in an email statement, \u201cThe City has not been served with the complaint and does not comment on pending litigation.\u201d Gomez said the purpose of the lawsuit is to get the city to create a level playing field and give all potential vendors a chance to lease Riverwalk space. \u201cWe\u2019re demanding that they start the process over again in a fair and transparent way,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m asking the aldermen to pass an ordinance to force this to a branch of the government that is better equipped to follow the rules and regulations and has an oversight board like O\u2019Hare, like the [Chicago] Park District.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The lawsuit filed by Robert Gomez, the owner of Beat Kitchen, against the city of Chicago, alleges racial bias in the lease renewal process for the Chicago Riverwalk space. The city’s decision to award the space to Haire’s Gulf Shrimp, a Black-owned business, has raised questions about the fairness and transparency of the selection process. The lawsuit seeks financial damages and to void Haire’s lease, and Gomez is demanding that the city start the process over again in a fair and transparent way.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n