Letter Sent to Mayors About the Importance of Outdoor Dining
Date postedOctober 8, 2020
Last week, the National Restaurant Association sent a letter to Mayor Greg Fischer, President of the United States Conference of Mayors, addressing the importance of outdoor dining during these times. The GRA echoes these sentiments and understand the integral role our Mayors have in supporting restaurants that have become reliant on the ability to offer outdoor dining. We are asking for the following suggestions be considered:
- Continue to encourage the expansion of outdoor dining areas by streamlining the permit process that enables restaurants to safely utilize public spaces (e.g. sidewalks, streets).
- Incentivize efforts to prolong the outdoor dining season with tax credits or funding for the purchase of equipment. Some examples include:
- District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announcing $4 million in grants being made available for businesses to assist with outdoor dining costs; and
- City of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot holding a contest to encourage the submission of innovative ideas for outdoor dining.
- Continue to promote restaurant dining and highlight efforts to extend the outdoor dining season.
To send this & other asks from elected officials that would support restaurants like yours, go to Government Ask and make your voice heard.