Cicero, a west suburban Chicago town, has stirred the pot with a new ordinance that comes down hard on late-night revelry by putting the kibosh on liquor sales past the stroke of midnight. Town officials have confirmed that the sale of liquor at bars, restaurants, and stores will be forced to cease once the clock hits twelve starting Jan. 1, 2025, for renewing licenses and effective immediately for new licensees. This legislative move reduces booze peddling hours that previously stretched until either 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. depending on the night, NBC Chicago reported.
Per the new ordinance, which directly impacts over 100 establishments within Cicero's borders, extensive complaints about drunken altercations and even incidents involving firearms were cited as the key motivators. "It's not unusual to have people who’ve been drinking to be outside firing weapons, we had something like that about a week ago. They fired 10 Shots, the police are being burdened by this problem," Cicero town spokesperson Ray Hanania said, according to NBC Chicago.
However, the clampdown hasn't gone over smoothly with everyone in the beverage business. Owners like Laura Arango of Langostina argue that their busiest, and presumably most profitable, hours are being slashed. "It's cutting us down by three hours, and unfortunately that's when we have the most traffic. People like to sit down, eat, enjoy a beer, and relax," Arango said, as per ABC7 Chicago.
The business community has already started to hint at a rallying effort in hopes of revising or overturning the ordinance before it takes full effect. Lucy Valdez, co-owner of Hacienda Calavera and Luxor, lamented the anticipated dent in her revenue, which could lead to dire consequences. "I would feel like we would get to the point where we would need to close our business because you can't run a bar from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.," Valdez told ABC7 Chicago.
Cicero isn't alone in stricter liquor control; the new stipulation contrasts with Chicago, where standard licenses allow serving alcohol until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., and late licenses even permit a 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. last call. Yet, town officials stick to their guns, believing that this move will dampen the recent spike in violence and disturbances.
