Our restaurants are facing the strain of the pandemic. As one of the hardest hit industries affected by stay-at-home orders, reduced public gatherings, and diminished capacity restrictions, they are holding on by their fingertips.

Research by Yelp found that 53% of restaurants are now listed as permanent closures. Independent restaurants, which bring flavor and character to our communities, are particularly at risk.

That means those sacred gathering spots that bring families, friends and neighbors together to celebrate milestones and flourish in a sense of community, need our help. COVID is causing a massive shakeup in the industry, one that could change the landscape of our towns. Larger corporate chains are better positioned to weather the storm. Our local chefs and restauranteurs who came here to pursue a dream have a tough road ahead as we face winter weather.

It's time to rally hard for our restaurants. With cooler weather coming and the reality of our local restaurants losing perhaps 50% of their business from the loss of outside dining - we need to step in if we want to save our favorite places. Make a restaurant connection part of your weekly schedule this fall and winter. Venture out and dine in, order delivery, or pick up your favorite meals. Consider local gift cards for restaurants and our local retailers when gifting this coming season. Your business will make a difference. -- Suzanne Corr, BACC President/CEO.

BACC will hold a Virtual Ribbon Cutting tomorrow, Sept. 22, at School of Rock, 100 W. Main St. in Barrington. Please show your support by viewing and sharing this and other BACC member ribbon cutting photos and videos posted on our BACC website and social media pages. To view them, simply click on the Facebook, Instagram and YouTube icons shown here. The School of Rock Virtual Ribbon Cutting will begin at 4:00 pm.

The BACC Women's Biz Net will honor four local women during its Outstanding Women Leaders (OWL) Awards this Thursday, Sept. 24 at Biltmore Country Club. WBN's OWL Awards will be a hybrid event this year! The in-person luncheon to honor the recipients and hear their personal stories has very limited seating and is now SOLD OUT.

However registration is open for signing up to view the OWL Awards Ceremony LIVE on Zoom! The cost to view the livestream event is $15, and all WBN programming benefits the BACC Lauren Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The 2020 WBN OWL Award Recipients are: Mary Roesch, RN, BSN, Chief Nursing Officer of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, OWL Recipient for Professional Excellence; Rebecca Darr President/CEO of Wings Program, Inc., the OWL Recipient for Non-profit Leadership; Darby Hills of Barrington Children’s Charities, the OWL Recipient for Community Impact; and Reverend Dr. Zina Jacque of the Community Church of Barrington, the OWL Recipient for Mentorship and Education.

Learn "How to Handle the Room When You're on Zoom!" Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 2:00 pm via Zoom! Don't miss this informative presentation hosted by BACC with Jared Silver of At-A-Glance Marketing. Create your on-screen brilliance by learning: Which buttons to push; Primary roles during a Zoom event; Planning your presentation/writing your script; and Secrets for crisp, sound and clean lighting.

Mark your calendar for the Barrington Area State Legislators Virtual Town Forum on Wednesday Oct. 7 from 8:30 - 10:30 am. Join us on zoom for an update on State issues, followed by a Q&A session with State Legislators. Confirmed speakers include: State Senators Cristina Castro and Dan McConchie; and State Representatives Anna Moeller and Tom Morrison. This FREE program is open to the pubic and co-hosted by BACC, BACOG and Barrington 220 Community School District. 

BACC will host an Employee Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Zoom Seminar on Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 10:00-11:00 am led by Andrea Herran of Focus HR. Register your staff to meet the annual State training requirement. All attendees will receive a printed certificate of completion, and examples will be provided on how to craft the written policy required in your employee manual. Cost to attend is $15 per person.

The Illinois Dept. of Commerce & Econonmic Opportunity has announced that application for Illinois' second round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG) is now available. This second round will: Support businesses in offsetting COVID-19 related losses; Deploy funding equitably across the state; Provide community navigators to help more minority-owned businesses access grants; and Build on $49 million mobilized to over 2,800 businesses last month. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

The Lake County Health Department will be resuming its conference calls for businesses every third Wednesday of the month. The next "COVID-19 Update for Businesses" conference call is this Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 pm. They will provide 10-15 minutes of updates on COVID-19, followed by a 15-minute Q&A sessionn. For details or to sign up CLICK HERE.

Learn best practices and solutions for keeping your restaurant staff safe at a webinar on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10:00 am co-hosted by the Cook County Dept. of Public Health and the Illinois Restaurant Association. The virtual event features panelists from NorthShore Clinical Labs, TrustPlace Technologies, and International Filter Manufacturing Corp. who will offer ways to navigate restaurant staff safety including current guidelines, testing, processes, PPE and air filtration. Click here to register.

The IRS has issued much-anticipated guidance on the payroll tax deferral that was ordered by President Donald Trump in a presidential memorandum on Aug. 8 (Notice 2020-65). The notice allows employers to defer withholding on affected employees’ compensation during the last four months of 2020 and then withhold those deferred amounts during the first four months of 2021. Under the guidance, employers can defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of certain payroll taxes on wages paid from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. For information CLICK HERE.

In response to the unprecedented and widespread challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois State Treasurer's Charitable Trust Grant program is doubling the total number of grants to be awarded (up to $12,500 maximum). Applications are being accepted now through Sept. 30 to help small nonprofits with annual budgets of $1 million or less in two categories: Food Programs and Housing Programs. Click here for details.

CDC: Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers   

211 Social Services Phone Line 

2020 BACC Chairman Circle Advantage Members!