Many Loop restaurants shut their doors during the pandemic. Now new ones are taking their place. – Chicago Tribune/Yahoo

Many Loop restaurants shut their doors during the pandemic. Now new ones are taking their place. – Chicago Tribune/Yahoo

The pandemic dried up much of the Loop's lunchtime business, so many restaurant owners could no longer afford downtown rents, said John Vance, principal at Stone Real Estate. But landlords are now more likely to offer generous terms, perhaps including lower rents, and that's helped local entrepreneurs without deep financial pockets gain a foothold downtown, he said.