Robert Gomez

Cousins Alberto Ramos and Monica Kutz have drinks at Beat Kitchen along the Chicago Riverwalk on April 9, 2021. (Antonio Perez/ baiduhai)

Robert Gomez: A secret committee shut out the public from Chicago’s Riverwalk

October 17, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

My venue had a proven track record on Chicago's Riverwalk, yet city records suggest that the process for choosing vendors was biased.

CTA “L” train passes over the Chicago River as people visit the Riverwalk on July 23, 2024. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Robert Gomez: Chicago’s Riverwalk vendor process is shrouded in secrecy. It’s time for real reform.

April 29, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The city speaks often about equity, but the way it has treated Beat Kitchen as a Riverwalk vendor tells a different story.

Exterior lights are off and a closed sign is posted next to the entrance of The Hideout on April 28, 2020, in Chicago. The venue is currently closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Op-ed: COVID-19 is not the only threat to Chicago’s music venues

December 30, 2020 at 1:51 p.m.

In the fall of 2019, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events designated 2020-21 as the "Year of Chicago Music." As a lifelong Chicagoan,...

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