Chicago City Wire

The Nisei Lounge Chicago has announced it will be closing for the entirety of January and February after it apparently failed to qualify for any state bailout monies. 

On its official Twitter page, the lounge confirmed it had not received money in the form of an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Business Interruption Grant. 

“We just got told we got nothing from this BIG grant program. We will survive to spring but likely will need to close entirely for much of January & February to get there. Please come see your favorite bartenders this weekend and tip them well. We're sorry, we're trying here,” the establishment said on Twitter. 

Dining rooms and bars have been closed in Illinois for much of the past two months, if not longer in some areas. 

In Chicago alone, an estimated 2,400  small businesses, mostly restaurants and bars, have gone out of business permanently since Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s lockdown orders began. 

The Nisei Lounge Chicago started in 1951 as a refuge for Japanese-Americans in Post-World War II Chicago. 

The establishment shut down in 2004 after a boiler explosion, but in 2008 new owners remodeled the lounge, keeping the same atmosphere and luring back loyal patrons. 

The day prior to learning the state had denied its grant, the lounge posted a hopeful message on Twitter regarding the grant money. 

The Illinois DCEO has provided $1.3 billion to businesses and individuals in the state.