City Extends Taste Of Chicago Registration Deadline

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Feb 23, 2012 5:40PM

Image Credit: Steven Lee

So how's registration for this year's Taste of Chicago going? Not well, apparently. Restaurants aren't necessarily enthused about participating in an event that's been moved to mid-July and shortened to five days, and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events has extended the filing deadline for this year's festival to Friday after only 44 restaurants filed by the original Tuesday deadline.

That number is in line with the expected 35-40 entrants expected for this year's taste, but Cultural Affairs and Special Events spokeswoman Cindy Gatsiolis tried to spin it in a positive manner.

"We feel that’s pretty good. But we’ve gotten many phone calls from previous vendors who are intending to apply, but just hadn’t sent their paperwork in. It’s a crazy business. Their hours are different from business hours. So, we’re extending the deadline until Friday,” she said.

“We know it’s going to grow in the next couple of days. I think we’ll be good shape.”

There is interest in the new "pop-up" restaurant category, but even that appears to be lukewarm. Of 200 restaurants that were solicited, 15 have applied. Restaurants participating as one-day pop-ups will only have to pay the city 20 percent of their gross receipts, after taxes. Vendors who opt to participate for the entire festival will pay $3,000 and 18 percent of gross receipts, after taxes, the same as they paid last year.