Community News
Permanent Outdoor Dining Expansion Proposed By Mayor After COVID-Era Rules Lapse
If passed by City Council, restaurants and bars will be able to once again operate patio service in the “curb lane” outside their businesses.
7:58 AM CDT on May 26, 2023
If passed by City Council, restaurants and bars will be able to once again operate patio service in the “curb lane” outside their businesses.
CHICAGO — Officials hope to make permanent rules that allowed restaurants, bars and breweries to expand their outdoor seating options during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In spring 2020, the city put in place temporary regulations that allowed for the expansion of sidewalk patios, many of them taking over parts, or in some cases all, of nearby streets. Businesses were also allowed to serve customers on private property, such as on makeshift patios in parking lots.
Those expansions proved crucial to keeping restaurants and bars in business when indoor dining was deemed unsafe as the virus spread, business owners and industry leaders have said.
The expanded outdoor dining rules lapsed at the end of 2022, leaving some restaurant owners to worry they might lose a vital revenue source during the summer.
After some delays, the city now hopes to bring those measures back and keep them for good.
A measure introduced Wednesday by Mayor Brandon Johnson to City Council would create a permanent Outdoor Dining Street Permit that would allow restaurants and bars to once again set up tables in the curb or parking lane outside their business.
Groups of three or more restaurants on the same block would also be able to apply for full street closures for their outdoor patios. Read more here…