Ally Marotti

Chicago

Consumer Reporter at Crain's Chicago Business

Featured in: Favicon

chicagobusiness.com Favicon

msn.com

latimes.com Favicon

nydailynews.com Favicon

yahoo.com

chicagotribune.com Favicon

thestar.com Favicon

flipboard.com Favicon

seattletimes.com Favicon

startribune.com + 96 more

Articles

Chicago street festivals struggle amid declining gate donations

1 week ago | chicagobusiness.com | Ally Marotti

Chicago’s street festivals have seen a drop in gate donations. At the same time, the costs to host such events have skyrocketed. While some fests have watched the gate donations dwindle over the past few years, for others, the drop was precipitous. Wicker Park Fest, for example, saw its gate donations plummet 50% between 2023 and 2024. It’s a crisis that for some festivals has become existential.
Table, Donkey and Stick Is an Alpine Retreat in the Heart of Logan Square — Resy | Right This Way

1 week ago | blog.resy.com | Ally Marotti

Discover restaurants to love. The Hit List The Hit List For all your restaurant recommendation needs, look no further than the Resy Hit List, our monthly list of 10 spots that should be on your radar right now.
Restaurant group bets big on the Loop with new spots anchored to hotels

2 weeks ago | chicagobusiness.com | Ally Marotti

In the past three years, Chicago-based restaurant group Roanoke Hospitality has opened four establishments, three of which are in the Loop. Launching a downtown dining spot these days isn’t an outright anomaly, but opening three? Some in the hospitality world would consider that a gamble. Though half a decade has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic turned the usually bustling Loop into a ghost town, recovery has been slow for some restaurants that survived.
Best restaurants for business lunch, dinners, drinks 2025

3 weeks ago | chicagobusiness.com | Brandon Raphael Dupre |Ally Marotti |Pawan Naidu

By Brandon Dupré, Ally Marotti and Pawan Naidu May 5, 2025 Looking for fresh ideas for a client dinner or post-workday drinks with colleagues? We've got you covered — plus recs for lunch and even a breakfast meeting option. FOR BREAKFASTCafe Yaya2431 N. Lincoln Ave. If you’re looking for freshly baked pastries and coffee in a unique cafe environment, the recently opened Cafe Yaya is the ideal place for that morning meeting.
Hospitality staffing company bringing training hub to Fulton Market

3 weeks ago | chicagobusiness.com | Ally Marotti

A hospitality staffing company from New York is setting up an outpost in the Fulton Market District, aiming to train workers for a career in the industry. The company, called HMG Plus, is opening a 3,600-square-foot training hub in May. The facility at 1621 W. Walnut St. will have a fully equipped event training space.
Vital Proteins' ex-CEO lands at GLP-1 booster maker Supergut

3 weeks ago | chicagobusiness.com | Ally Marotti

The former CEO of Vital Proteins has turned her attention to fiber. Tracey Warner Halama, who stepped down from the collagen company almost two years ago, is now leading a gut health brand called Supergut. The Los Angeles-based company uses a blend of prebiotics in its products, which include powders, bars and shakes. “The aperture is broadening in terms of who out there is interested in cleaning up their gut microbiome,” said Warner Halama, who remains based in Chicago.
Ulta vies with growing competition from TikTok Shop, Amazon

4 weeks ago | chicagobusiness.com | Ally Marotti

For Ulta Beauty, 2024 was not a great growth year. The Bolingbrook-based beauty company reported comparable sales growth — a hotly watched metric in retail — of 0.7% last year. The slowed annual growth was not a shock. After warnings from company executives in October, analysts predicted that 2024 would mark Ulta’s worst growth period since mask-wearing customers cut back their makeup application in 2020. They were right.
Loop office tower developer is planning a restaurant on Randolph

1 month ago | chicagobusiness.com | Ally Marotti

Onni Group, the real estate developer behind The Emily Hotel in Fulton Market, plans to open a restaurant in the Loop this summer. Solette will be located on the ground floor of 225 W. Randolph St., a 31-story office building called the Bell. Onni is spending $140 million to add amenities and turn the landmark tower into a modern office building that will attract tenants. The restaurant opening is targeted for June.
Cold weather? No problem. Here are 7 new and noteworthy Chicago restaurant openings

1 month ago | chicagobusiness.com | Ally Marotti

The first quarter is often the slowest time for restaurants in Chicago. Some customers are participating in Dry January, cutting back on spending after holiday splurges or simply hibernating. As such, opening a new restaurant during the city’s most frigid months can be a gamble. But it can also be helpful. Launching during a slow period allows staffers to work out kinks in service.
Workplace support key factor for those in addiction recovery

1 month ago | crainscleveland.com | Ally Marotti

Summit County employers seeking the Recovery Friendly Workplace designation must complete an orientation, post resources in the workplace and share resources with staff, Urban-Waala said. They must also share a declaration of commitment. The workplaces don’t have to change their policies, but Urban-Waala usually suggests a few options. Those include altering hiring practices, so past drug convictions are not a deal breaker for job candidates.