Blog

Reviving the Restaurant Corridor in the Greater Chatham Neighborhood of Chicago: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract: Greater Chatham is a 15-square-mile area in the city of Chicago that includes the largely African-American neighborhoods of Avalon Park, Auburn Gresham, Greater Grand Crossing, and Chatham. Greater Chatham is a mixed-income community with relatively high levels of human capital (figure 1). In this community, the idea that restaurants can act as an economic anchor has been the inspiration for various public and privately funded programs to support food-related businesses. Greater Chatham describes itself as the soul food/Caribbean/West African food district of Chicago. Its 75th Street “Restaurant Row” is a one-mile stretch that includes many long-time and well-known family-owned restaurants. Community leaders view restaurant corridors such as this as a source of economic strength for both restaurant owners and the surrounding community through their ability to both keep residents’ dollars in and attract visitors’ dollars to the neighborhood. Developing and promoting the attractions in these neighborhoods is therefore seen as a key strategy of economic development.

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Publication Date: 2025-03