Cops Called To 94 West Restaurant, Find Diners Eating On Patio
ORLAND PARK, IL — Police in Orland Park have been called to the 94 West restaurant on 94th Avenue multiple times this month on allegations the restaurant was violating the state's shelter-in-place order, but no citations have been made and clear violations of the order and the subsequent shutdown of dine-in services in the state are not apparent.
A photo shared via an anonymous source appears to show two servers of the restaurant working on the outdoor patio on May 27, two days before the state began to allow such services.
If that's what occurred, it wouldn't be the first time the restaurant's possible violation of the statewide restaurant dine-in shutdown order due to the coronavirus pandemic was reported.
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Orland Park police were called to the restaurant three times in May, all responding to calls suggesting the restaurant had violated the order.
On May 22 at 7:04 p.m., they arrived after a call of a large group of people dining on the patio and found more than 40 cars parked in the parking lot with groups of 2-10 people dining on the patio, according to a police call log obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
A day earlier, police arrived at nearly the same time and saw multiple cars in the lot "apparently having a car show," and patrons eating on the patio. According to the report Owner Bryan Sord told police the car show was only for a few cars and by invitation only, although a number of more showed up.
Sord also told police patrons ordered food for takeout and were eating it on the patio, the narrative states.
The restaurant owner previously told Patch that he could not stop customers who ordered food to-go and ate it on the patio or their cars in the parking lot. He also shared his opinion that the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has become worse than the health crisis itself.
Earlier in the month, on May 3, police were called to a report of patrons eating inside the restaurant and violating shelter in place order but a police report from that incident indicates the officer who responded only saw one car parked in the lot and no one inside the restaurant.
The source who sent the anonymous tip said he has seen on multiple occasions people being served drinks on the patio and on one Saturday night the place was "packed."
"People were eating on flatware with metal silverware and drinking out of glasses," the source said.
Sord told Patch that the servers were only bringing patrons their to-go orders and that traditional dining on the patio did not occur during the shutdown.
This article originally appeared on the Orland Park Patch
