Filed under:Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation says not enough industry members have applied for grantsThe COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts, counter staff, and many more (both salaried and hourly) out of work, without insurance, and with a growing fear of not being able to make ends meet.While groups like the Independent Restaurant Coalition continue to tirelessly work with Congress to get the revitalization bill passed, local efforts exist to help people on a more immediate basis. The only problem? Not enough hospitality workers have applied for...…Filed under:Houston-based Southern Smoke Foundation says not enough industry members have applied for grantsThe COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts, counter staff, and many more (both salaried and hourly) out of work, without insurance, and with a growing fear of not being able to make ends meet.While groups like the Independent Restaurant Coalition continue to tirelessly work with Congress to get the revitalization bill passed, local efforts exist to help people on a more immediate basis. The only problem? Not enough hospitality workers have applied for...WW…

Is a neighborhood by any other name still the same neighborhood — and will changing its name change what happens there?That’s a question that arose after the Northalsted Business Alliance announced in September it would no longer use “Boystown” in its marketing of the neighborhood. The alliance, which comprises businesses in the East Lakeview neighborhood stretching along Halsted Street between Barry Street and Irving Park Road, conducted an eight-week survey of nearly 8,000 people over the summer to determine if those living in or visiting the LGBTQ enclave felt excluded by the name...…Is a neighborhood by any other name still the same neighborhood — and will changing its name change what happens there?That’s a question that arose after the Northalsted Business Alliance announced in September it would no longer use “Boystown” in its marketing of the neighborhood. The alliance, which comprises businesses in the East Lakeview neighborhood stretching along Halsted Street between Barry Street and Irving Park Road, conducted an eight-week survey of nearly 8,000 people over the summer to determine if those living in or visiting the LGBTQ enclave felt excluded by the name...WW…