CITY HALL — Teens can now sell and serve booze at restaurants and grocery stores as part of a push to reduce youth unemployment.
The ordinance, authored by Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) and Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th), does not apply to bars or stadiums, only places where alcohol is served along with food.
Nearly 42 percent of Chicagoans younger than 21 are unemployed, and Chicago lawmakers has an obligation to do everything in its power to help those teens and young adults find a job, Sawyer said.
"This is a logical and incremental step," Tunney said.
Underage cashiers and servers are not be allowed to open or pour alcoholic drinks under the new law, but they would be allowed to sell and serve the booze.
The new law means grocery store cashiers no longer have to ask an adult employee to scan and sell booze, inconveniencing shoppers, Sawyer said.
The teens and young adults would have to complete state training — as all other employees do — before being permitted to sell booze.
