Dining in the Street? As Restaurants Reopen, Seating Moves Outdoors

Cities are accelerating applications and waiving fees to allow alfresco dining, but the moves are disrupting neighborhoods and cutting much-needed tax revenue.

As restaurants around the country look to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, outdoor seating is becoming a survival option, and local governments are helping by cutting red tape.

If a restaurant in Louisville, Ky., for instance, had wanted to offer dining service on a patio before the pandemic, it would have had to apply for a permit, pay fees of $1,150 — and then wait, for up to six months.

Not so today...

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RSK: Nice idea but...in the northern climes of most of the US you may get 40 to 50 days at best where the weather permits this. But people get creative in these times so we shall no doubt see more innovation in this area.