Chicago Riverwalk restaurant owner questions city’s decision to cut his lease

CHICAGO - Robert Gomez, a longtime Chicago restaurant owner, says he’s still in the dark about why the city didn’t renew his lease for a Riverwalk spot that had previously generated about $3 million in annual sales.

The backstory:

Gomez ran Beat Kitchen on the Riverwalk for three years under a five-year lease. The first two years were wiped out due to delays, he said, but in the last three years, the business was strong.

When the lease came up for renewal last year, he applied again, competing against just one other applicant. But the process dragged on for months, and the space remained closed for the entire 2023 season. 

Eventually, the city awarded the spot to someone else.

What we don't know:

Gomez says the city hasn’t told him why he was passed over, who made the decision, or even who the other applicant was. He also hasn’t been able to get answers through a Freedom of Information request.

He’s concerned that the selection committee operates without public oversight or transparency. He said there’s no appeals process, and business owners have no way to contest the outcome or even learn how it was reached.

Despite offering to meet with the city for a debriefing, Gomez said officials told him they wouldn’t meet until after the new lease was finalized — at which point, he says, it was too late to do anything about it.

The other side:

City officials confirmed Gomez’s application was not selected, citing a competitive bidding process. A statement from the Department of Fleet and Facility Management said the review was conducted by an evaluation committee and followed normal protocols.

The full statement can be found below:

"The purpose of the RFP process is to ensure that Chicagoans benefit from a competitive bidding process that takes into account a number of factors. Unfortunately, this applicant was not selected for a renewed concessions agreement based on the assessment by the Evaluation Committee."

What's next:

Gomez said he’s speaking out in hopes of prompting changes in how the city handles Riverwalk concessions. He wants more transparency in the evaluation process and a way for business owners to appeal decisions or at least receive a meaningful explanation.

He also warned the city lost out on significant revenue by leaving the space closed in 2023 and not renewing a lease with a proven operator. By his estimate, the city missed out on about $800,000 in taxes and fees from his business alone.

For now, Gomez says he’s focusing on his other venues — including Subterranean and Beat Kitchen on Belmont.