Restaurants are a fantastic place to hold a video shoot. They come pre-decorated to match any theme you have in mind. If your movie has an important scene that takes place in an Italian rooftop bar or Chinese restaurant, well, why not choose any one of the hundreds of Italian or Chinese venues Chicago has to offer? Restaurants are experienced in holding events and many can be rented by the hour, day, or longer.
Restaurants also offer realistic props thanks to having full kitchens, dinnerware, walk-in freezers, serving staff, menus, and other accessories that could be complex to source on your own. They are also affordable venues for film making, with rates that are on par with renting a
video studio. Except restaurants come pre decorated and full of supporting accessories like lighting, fountains, and tables. Not to mention you don't have to buy any of these decorative items, which would drive up the cost of any movie set designed to look like a restaurant.