Trenton encourages downtown dining through sidewalk cafes, extended Sunday hours to buy alcohol

Starbucks

The Trenton Starbucks at South Warren and Front streets, in one of the city's retail areas.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med

Two new ordinances were passed in Trenton last month permitting sidewalk cafes in the Capital City along with extended hours to purchase alcohol on Sundays.

The Sunday Brunch Bill allows alcohol to be served as early as 9 a.m. In the past, restaurants couldn’t serve alcohol until noon.

Mayor Reed Gusciora, who called for both ordinances and helped draft them, said the ordinances set ground rules on how merchants can set up tables on city property, clearing the confusion often shared by restaurants and city inspectors.

“Some restaurants have popped up individually, but we wanted to set the ground rules and also encourage many of the restaurants owners to think about opening sidewalk cafes,” he said.

Gusciora explained that prior to these change merchants were concerned that the city would cause issues for them if they added an outdoor dining option.

“While the Sidewalk Café ordinance will help local businesses when the weather improves, the Sunday Brunch Bill will be able to immediately attract business,” Amin Arias of the Latino Merchants Association said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. “There are great restaurants and businesses within the City and these ordinances help remind everyone of that.”

Gusciora said he hoped restaurants in Chambersburg and South Warren Street would take advantage of these new rules.

India Duke can be reached at iduke@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Inja_NJ.

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