April 14, 2026 – How the City of Chicago decides which businesses will be awarded potentially lucrative contracts to operate on the Chicago Riverwalk is being challenged by a business owner who says he unfairly lost his spot in favor of a Black-owned business. A federal judge must now determine if the civil rights lawsuit – which alleges the City manipulated the 2024 bidding process to favor a preferred vendor over the incumbent Hispanic owner – contains enough evidence to proceed to trial.
Robert Gomez, the owner of Beat Kitchen, filed the complaint in federal court on December 11, 2025. He alleges that Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration and the Department of Fleet and Facility Management (2FM) violated civil rights laws and city ordinances to ensure Haire’s Gulf Shrimp secured the contract for the high-traffic waterfront site.
Gomez, who operates Beat Kitchen locations at Navy Pier and in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, had occupied 91-95 East Riverwalk South for three years prior to the dispute.
He alleges that although Beat Kitchen submitted the only timely and complete proposal by the April 2024 deadline, City officials secretly invited Haire’s to submit a late bid weeks later to satisfy what he calls a “race-priority framework.”
The complaint includes an internal note allegedly written by Michelle Woods, former Deputy Commissioner at 2FM, which states, “Would be great to get a black woman owned business” for the Riverwalk location. At the time of the note, the space was occupied by Beat Kitchen, which had submitted a proposal to continue operating at the site for another three-year term.
Gomez cites public comments by Mayor Johnson about directing resources to “our people,” arguing this created a mandate that forced departments to prioritize racial identity over rule-bound procurement.
The complaint alleges Haire’s proposal was deficient, missing a Minimum Annual Guarantee (MAG), financial statements, and a required Opinion of Counsel. An exhibit reportedly shows Haire’s placing a “?” where the MAG and Supplemental Revenue Fee were requested.
City denies discrimination, says Beat Kitchen was ‘poor steward’
In its Motion to Dismiss filed on March 20, 2026, the City called the racial discrimination claims “implausible.” The defense argues the evaluation committee chose Haire’s for merit-based reasons, asserting that Beat Kitchen had been a “poor steward” of the property and the subject of numerous neighbor complaints during its previous tenure.
The City also contends the lawsuit fails to establish municipal liability and that six City employees named in the suit are protected by qualified immunity.
Gomez originally filed his suit in Cook County Circuit Court in August 2025 but withdrew it in November 2025 to file the broader civil rights case in federal court. He is currently seeking a court order to void the award to Haire’s and is requesting compensatory and punitive damages for lost profits and reputational harm, noting that the multi-year concession had projected revenues exceeding seven figures.
Discovery remains paused until U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin rules on the City’s motion to dismiss. While Beat Kitchen was due to file its formal response on April 13, 2026, its attorneys requested an extension on April 10. The City is scheduled to file its final reply by May 1, 2026, with a judicial decision expected shortly thereafter.
