True cost — by city
Below NYC/LA, above South/Midwest secondary. Larksuite: lease/buy $100,000-$500,000, total startup $263,000-$960,000, monthly $31,700-$95,000. Ghost/private kitchen lease $3,000-$6,000/mo (Restroworks).
Mid-tier retail TI $95-$150/sq ft (Terrapin July 2026) — materially above broader Midwest due to union jurisdiction on most commercial work. Bhumi premium +20% above national average for Chicago. Liquor timeline: Illinois 60-120 days, Chicago separate lengthier process.
Overall cost level: higher for a US restaurant opening. The city moves the rent and the build-out; the state moves the permits, the certificates and the liquor clock — and Chicago sits in Illinois.
Start with the state layer: Illinois permits · Illinois liquor · Illinois hub.
Don't read the table — run your verdict. Pick Illinois, add your format and rent — the regulated lines fill themselves.
Included in the $49 Opening Pack: the filled templates, trackers, calendars and worksheets for this door — built from the same dated datasets as the free checker above.
Sources: Terrapin Construction Group — TI Cost Per Square Foot 2026; Bhumi Calculator 2026; Larksuite — Restaurant Startup Costs 2026, 2026-07. Dataset checked October 23, 2026. Where a fee or rule is set by a county or city, this page says so instead of guessing a number.