Chicago business owner sues city and mayor, claims Riverwalk license revoked due to racial bias

Chicago business owner sues city and mayor, claims Riverwalk license revoked due to racial bias

Beat Kitchen owner Robert Gomez is suing the city, alleging his Riverwalk license was not renewed due to racial discrimination, despite being the most qualified applicant under city rules.

CHICAGO - The Beat Kitchen operated on the Chicago Riverwalk for three years — and the venue's owner, Robert Gomez, says he turned a profit, generating $3 million a year in annual sales.

But Gomez says the city chose not to renew his license — even though he says he was, per city rules, the most qualified vendor to operate and the only one to get a full application in on time. 

Now, he is filing a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging the city revoked his license because of his race.

What we know:

The lawsuit features communications between city officials that indicate they tilted the scales to encourage and favor an African American-owned business to take his place. 

The lawsuit alleges that it violates both city ordinance and federal law. In the lawsuit, he claims:

"As a minority-owned business, Beat Kitchen supports the City’s stated commitment to equity – equity grounded in transparency, consistent rules, and lawful process – that is, genuine equity. What Beat Kitchen cannot support – and what federal and state law forbid but took place – is the substitution of race-influenced directives and considerations for the rule-based evaluation required by law."

And it goes on to claim the panel of city officials that award Riverwalk licenses:

"....privately invited and accepted a late and deficient proposal from the racefavored vendor, altered and manipulated mandatory evaluation criteria, and applied undisclosed racial considerations that advantaged the privately invited vendor."

Gomez says he followed all the rules only to see the city punish his business.

"It's crushing," Gomez said. "I have two music venues and the music industry has struggled since COVID. More importantly, over four years I put $600,000 into that space."

The Beat Kitchen space was replaced with another local company called Haire’s Gulf Shrimp, and the lawsuit is seeking to declare that license void and asking for financial damages due to the lost revenue, although the company is not a party to the lawsuit. 

A spokesperson for Chicago’s Fleet and Facility Management Department — the agency that oversees the Riverwalk — said they do not comment on pending litigation, but did acknowledge back in April that the panel chose to go with another vendor.

In May, the Trump Justice Department announced it was investigating alleged racial discrimination in the Johnson administration after comments that the DOJ interpreted as Mayor Brandon Johnson basing jobs and hiring on race qualifications.

Riverwalk vendor files civil rights lawsuit against city, Chicago mayor | The Chicago Report

Beat Kitchen owner Robert Gomez is suing the city, alleging his Riverwalk license was not renewed due to racial discrimination, despite being the most qualified applicant under city rules.