Chicago Originals recognizes the locally owned businesses and places that could only be in Chicago, much as the Michelin Guide recognizes restaurants. An independent foundation awards badges at 3 levels to legacy businesses, neighborhood institutions and cultural anchors. The badge brings visibility, not rent control or a tax break.
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PART OF THE NEW BURNHAM PLAN
WARRANTY
Chicago Originals
Chicago stays Chicago when the city puts a spotlight on the locally owned places that could only exist here.
Walk the trendy blocks of Austin, Nashville or Denver and you can't tell which city you're in. A Chicago Originals badge brings visibility, not rent control or a tax break.
You see the same Edison bulbs, the same reclaimed wood, the same $18 appetizer. That happens when a city grows without any way of passing on its own culture. The person who moves here from Phoenix wants to become a Chicagoan, and nobody tells them why a Chicago tavern is different from a bar.
We want the growth and the new neighbors, so we need a way to keep what makes this place Chicago. An independent Chicago Originals Foundation recognizes locally owned businesses that are unmistakably of this city. There are three levels: Certified, Honored and Iconic. Every year brings an Originals Guide, a Chicago Originals app and Chicago Culture Week, and the city's tourism efforts promote Chicago Originals businesses.
Nobody tries to redevelop Chinatown out of existence, because everyone can see what it's worth. If we make that value just as visible for the old tavern somebody's grandfather opened, it can defend itself the same way.
WHAT IT WON'T DO
It doesn't regulate anyone or stop anything from opening. No zoning change, rent rule or tax break comes with the badge.
It isn't a political favor. The Foundation is independent, its board serves staggered terms so no one administration controls it, and an alderman can nominate a business but can't lobby for it.
It doesn't lean on taxpayers forever. City seed money gets it started, and the goal is for the Guide, the app, sponsorships and Culture Week to make it largely self-sustaining within five years.
It isn't just for the old places. Any locally owned business can qualify at any age, and anyone can nominate one.
How it connects
Nothing in this plan works alone. These are the questions people ask next, and the policies that answer them.
How do new local businesses open in the first place? Corner Store Revival makes small, locally owned shops legal again on corners and main streets in residential neighborhoods, and the Chicago Open for Business Act gives any standard business license a decision within 30 days.
Corner Store Revival →
Chicago Open for Business Act →
How do we bring more foot traffic to neighborhood shops? Complete Neighborhoods gives each neighborhood its own downtown, called a frunchroom, with a free plaza, businesses facing in, a transit connection and room for markets and events.
Complete Neighborhoods: The Frunchroom →
Can Chicago grow without losing itself? Housing Abundance grows the city in the two-flats, three-flats and coach houses Chicago was built on, so more neighbors share the city's bills.
Housing Abundance →
FISCAL IMPACT
Investment Cost
RENOVATION STEP
Warranty
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01
Where it ranks
OUR PRIORITIES
#32 of 33
SMALLER MOVE
23.8 / 100
Daily life
Long-term future
Reach
Unlocks
PROMISING It recognizes and protects the legacy businesses, neighborhood institutions and cultural anchors that make Chicago feel like Chicago, using a three-tier badge system.
When you'd feel it: Within Year 1.
See all the priorities
How I set them
02
How it works
An independent foundation
The Chicago Originals Foundation is a 501(c)(3), a tax-exempt nonprofit, not a city department. The mayor appoints the first board or a committee that selects it. Board members serve staggered terms, so no one administration controls it.
Three tiers
The Certified tier is for businesses that authentically carry Chicago and Midwestern identity, including brand-new ones. The Honored tier is for businesses deeply rooted in a scene or neighborhood. The Iconic tier is for institutions that define the city itself.
Who qualifies
The business must be locally owned. It can be any age. The board judges Chicago identity, its role as a gathering place, support for local artists and makers, quality and authenticity.
How it's awarded
Businesses apply or anyone nominates them. The board reviews once a year and may visit and interview owners. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony during Chicago Culture Week. An alderman can nominate but can't lobby, and there's no appeal to politicians.
It can be taken away
Certification ends automatically if the business is sold to non-local or corporate owners, changes its core identity, or closes. The board can also revoke it after a review. The business gets to respond, and the board announces the reason publicly.
What it produces
The Foundation produces an annual Originals Guide, a Chicago Originals app and Chicago Culture Week. City tourism efforts promote certified businesses.
Not a regulation
No rent control, zoning change or tax break comes with the badge. The protection comes from public attention: if a landlord prices out a certified business, that becomes a public story.
How it's paid for
At first the city provides seed money and operating support. After that the Foundation is paid for by the Guide, the app, sponsorships, Culture Week partnerships, donations and merchandise. The goal is to be largely self-sustaining within five years.
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What it costs
City seed and operating support in the early years
~$2–3M a year
This is a planning estimate. The city's share shrinks as the Foundation earns its own money.
04
What it takes to make it happen
MAYOR
Appoint the first board or selection committee, and direct city tourism to promote certified businesses and partner on Culture Week.
CITY COUNCIL
Approve the seed funding in the budget.
WASHINGTON
The Foundation applies to the IRS for tax-exempt status.
SPRINGFIELD
No new state law is needed.
VOTERS
No referendum is needed.
05
Timeline
YEAR 1
Set up the Foundation, seat the board, publish the criteria and open nominations.
YEAR 2
The first Chicago Originals Awards and the first Chicago Culture Week are held, and the first Originals Guide comes out.
YEAR 3
The app launches.
YEAR 5
The target is for the Foundation to be largely self-sustaining.
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Where it's worked
San Francisco
San Francisco runs the country's first legacy business program, for businesses open in the city 30 years or more. More than 400 are registered.
SOURCE: CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM ↗
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San Francisco
The program's typical budget has been about $1 million a year since 2016–17, mostly grants. It paid landlords up to $4.50 a square foot to give legacy tenants long leases. A per-employee grant to the businesses was dropped after 2019–20.
SOURCE: SAN FRANCISCO LEGACY BUSINESS PROGRAM PRESENTATION TO MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD 8, JANUARY 2026 ↗
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Sources
City and County of San Francisco, Legacy Business Program
San Francisco Legacy Business Program presentation to Manhattan Community Board 8, January 2026
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