11 restaurants file for sidewalk outdoor seating permit in Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Restaurants in Louisville are gearing up to open their doors to the public, but owners are facing a bit of a challenge adhering to social distancing guidelines.
The biggest change people could see are sidewalks turn into dining areas to ensure people who go into a business stay safe and feel comfortable.
Starting May 22, restaurants will be able to operate at 33% capacity, while outdoor seating will be unlimited.
People have been waiting weeks to be able to get back into a restaurant, whether its working or as a customer. Louisville Metro Council gave a stamp of approval for an emergency order that allows owners to do more with the space they have, like expand seating on private property and parking lots.
"They can do that as of right, they don’t need our permission,” said Louisville Metro Councilman Brandon Coan, who represents the 8th District of Louisville. “They have to comply with guidelines written online but they can do that.”
Another option owners have is to request a permit for permission to expand onto the public sidewalk.
“For that have to apply online, and still need the city’s permission to do it. However, we’ve waved any fees associated with that and of course we will be trying to expedite those reviews."
Even though all restaurants have the green light to open, still some owners are handling this reopening differently, than say the business next-door.
"There’s a lot of business that have decided not to reopen at 33% because the economics still don’t work, public health concerns that outweigh anything else,” Coan said. “There are other businesses who are that need to get back to work because they need to and want to.”
Coan says people can still help out their favorite restaurants by continuing with pick up or delivery orders.
“Order at a different hours, order dinner at 8p.m., or 4p.m., order lunch at 2 p.m. That helps them spread out and put more people back to work."
Metro Council is still looking for suggestions about how to go about utilizing public spaces for extended outdoor seating space.
The following restaurants have applied for expanded outdoor seating permits:
- District 6 on Shelbyville Road
- Check’s Cafe on East Burnett Avenue
- Galaxie Bar on East Market Street
- Monnik Beer Company on East Burnett Avenue
- Liege and Dairy Ice Cream + Waffles on Holiday Manor Center
- Great Flood Brewing on Shelbyville Road
- Tokyo Restaurant on Lime Kiln Lane
- Ciao Ristorante on Payne Street
- Hilltop Tavern on Frankfort Avenue
- Sal’s Pizza Pub on East Lyndon Lane
- Diamond Station on Bardstown Road
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