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As Part Of Gradual Reopening, Village Of Hinsdale Plans To Close Streets For Outdoor Restaurant Seating

HINSDALE, Ill. (CBS) -- The Village of Hinsdale is taking to the streets to help local restaurants and small businesses hit hard by COVID-19 in the next phase of Illinois reopening.

CBS 2's Tara Molina previewed those plans Wednesday night, and they may end up helping others.

Dining rooms in Hinsdale are about to get a whole street bigger. That's right, plans are in place to block off streets so restaurants can up their limited capacity and, hopefully, their bottom line.

Empty barstools and full carry-out bags are not what Fuller House brother-sister team Sam Vlahos and Patricia Brown pictured when they opened on First Street in Hinsdale five years ago.

"It was brutal," Vlahos said. "It was gut-wrenching to have to actually close down."

Takeout and delivery have been keeping the doors open.

"We've had to completely change our structure," Brown said.

But like thousands of other restaurants in Illinois, their sales during the stay-at-home order aren't even close to where they were before.

"We've lost 60-70 percent every week," Vlahos said. "It's that bad."

Expanding outside, they said, would help.

"Thank God, honestly," Brown said.

"If they say we are going to be open at 50 percent capacity inside and the village is willing to help us extend that to 100 percent, even 75 percent," Vlahos said.

And that's exactly what the village is talking about doing in a coming phase of the state's re-opening - when restaurants can open back up, but at very limited capacity.

The Board of Trustees in Hinsdale unanimously support the idea to close down parts of three streets, where restaurants will then expand outdoor dining.

Vlahos said Brown say it will make all the difference for moms and pops in Hinsdale and hopefully, elsewhere.

"The more seating the more staff we can bring back," Brown said.

"Unfortunately, the sad thing is places will shut down that didn't adapt," Vlahos said. "I think the biggest thing with restaurants being able to stay open is how they are adapting."

Village officials declined Molina's interview request, but you can read the full letter from the Village of Hinsdale detailing this idea below.

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CBS 2 is committing to Working For Chicago, connecting you every day with the information you or a loved one might need about the jobs market, and helping you remove roadblocks to getting back to work.

We'll keep uncovering information every day to help this community get back to work, until the job crisis passes. CBS 2 has several helpful items right here on our website, including a look at specific companies that are hiring, and information from the state about the best way to get through to file for unemployment benefits in the meantime.

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