Chicago magazine

Back by popular demand, restaurant listings have returned to the pages of Chicago magazine — but now they’re running only twice a year.

A top-to-bottom redesign in 2013 eliminated the longtime feature from the monthly print publication. While the full capsule reviews of nearly 200 city and suburban eateries continued to appear in the magazine’s tablet version and online, print readers were served only a few new reviews along with updates and additions each month.

The move, which was attributed to reduced page counts and a push to the digital format, proved unpalatable to many subscribers.

Beth Fenner

“We received feedback from quite a few readers saying that they do not use the Internet and that they therefore wanted the full listings back in print," said Chicago editor in chief Beth Fenner. “So we decided to reinstate the full listings twice a year -- in May and in November.”

The decision to restore the restaurant reviews, which became effective with the May 2014 issue, coincided with the return of the monthly cultural events listings, another casualty of the redesign.

“The challenge for all magazines today is to serve readers as effectively as they can while operating within the realities of today's publishing environment,” Fenner added. “We'll continue to listen to readers to help us get the balance right. As always, we welcome their suggestions, ideas, and feedback.”

Chicago magazine is published by Chicago Tribune Media Group, which also licenses and markets this blog.