A Chicago restaurant group is handing out thousands of meals for free after having to furlough 600 workers

• Restaurant owners in Chicago are handing out meals to thousands of people during the coronavirus pandemic.
• The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group furloughed 600 employees after the pandemic broke out — a crisis affecting businesses across the country.
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When the founders of Chicago's Fifty/50 Restaurant Group had to furlough 600 of their employees across 14 restaurants because of the coronavirus, they knew they had to act.

"It was devastating for us and obviously for them also. They're like family to us and so immediately we wanted to do something," Greg Mohr, cofounder of the restaurant group, told Business Insider.

Since then, the restaurant group has given out free meals to around 6,000 Chicago residents.

People across the country are facing the economic hit of the coronavirus pandemic, as many businesses have closed their doors to curb the spread of the virus. Nearly 17 million Americans filed unemployment claims in the period between March 15 and April 4, according to the most recent Labor Department figures.

Even though the Fifty/50 group furloughed much of its staff, a handful of workers have volunteered to help with the project, which is being supported by donations of $25,000 a week from an anonymous Chicago tech executive.

Matt Miller, general manager of the Fifty/50 sports bar, is one of the few salaried employees who was kept on payroll. Today, he fills takeout containers and helps coordinate meal distribution.

"It's a complete 180" from his usual workday, he told Business Insider. "Normally, you know, I'm running the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. But yeah, I am solely devoted to this project for the foreseeable future."

After filling takeout containers, the other volunteers bag up the meals and hand them out to anyone who comes by.

The group continues to raise money through their online donation platform. The founders hope to continue giving out meals as long as there's need, even if the fate of the restaurant group is uncertain.

"And honestly, if we're going down, we want to do it the right way," Mohr told Business Insider. "I want to be proud of what we did."