Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Lights out for a Roscoe Village cafe's outdoor dining — even as others shine on

suntimes.com · 2hShare

Mitch Einhorn, co-owner of Lush Wine & Spirits, was floored this spring when a city inspector showed up at his Roscoe Village cafe and told him to take down the strings of decorative white lights around his outdoor seating area. The lights weren't any different from those adorning close to a dozen other outdoor dining areas nearby. But the inspector from the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection said decorative lights aren't allowed in the public way, which is where sidewalk cafes sit. Who knew? Certainly not Einhorn. The Chicago Sun-Times reviewed about 12 blocks across three North Side neighborhoods and found more than 40 restaurants, bars and other businesses had string lights decorating their sidewalk dining areas. They light up outdoor dining areas on Lincoln Avenue in North Center and Lincoln Square; on Randolph and West Fulton Market streets, west of Halsted Street; and on Roscoe Street in Roscoe Village, within a few blocks of Einhorn's business. String lights

First report: Households urged to turn off outdoor lights from August — express.co.uk, 2d