Customers check out some of the vendors at the 2012 edition of the Taste of Chicago, which was shortened to five days and pushed back until after the July 4 holiday. (Credit: CBS)
Reporting Craig Dellimore
CHICAGO (CBS) — Five aldermen led by the 2nd Ward’s Robert Fioretti point out that the Taste Of Chicago’s attendance has been dropping and lost more than $1 million last year and hasn’t been profitable since 2008.
A resolution says the Taste is fast becoming a losing proposition. They want a hearing to see if it should be eliminated.
But Mayor Emanuel says his administration has been changing the festival for the better, like charging for premium concert seats.
“The kick-off band will be fun., and I think that was an innovation. The pop-up restaurants were an innovation. Bringing in the change in how we actually did seating for restaurants for different types of both lunch and dinner,” said Emanuel.
Clearly the mayor want to see how well the improvements work before making a decision.
