LOS ANGELES—Though COVID-19 capacity limits and indoor mask mandates are now a thing of the past, outdoor dining may be here to stay in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles City Council took a step to preserve the city’s “Al Fresco” program, which allows restaurants and food vendors to use sidewalks, street lanes, and parking lots for outdoor dining.
To make the program permanent, the council unanimously approved a motion on March 22 to instruct the Department of City Planning to collaborate with other departments to prepare an ordinance.
Last April, Mayor Eric Garcetti called to make the program permanent during his State of the City address and requested nearly $2 million in grants for restaurants in low-income neighborhoods to set up permanent lots for outdoor dining.
“In a city whose unofficial motto is 72 and sunny, let’s make al fresco dining permanent,” Garcetti said.
The program was then introduced by Garcetti in May 2020 to help keep small businesses afloat during the height of the pandemic.
In August 2020, the city’s councilors approved a motion aimed at letting the program stay should the city’s COVID-19 state of emergency declaration end in the future.
“The LA Al Fresco Program, which has received tremendous feedback from restaurants ... looks to support the heavily impacted industry by allowing restaurants to continue to operate in a safe, physically distanced setting,” the August 2020 motion stated.
“Additionally, in many instances, outdoor dining has provided additional dining space for smaller, family-owned restaurants, while taking advantage of Southern California’s climate and preserving the unique character of neighborhoods with smaller shops and restaurants.”
The council has since heard reports from various city departments—including the Department of City Planning, Department of Transportation, and Bureau of Engineering—on the feasibility of permanently adopting the program.
Local business groups and neighborhood councils have been writing to the city council to express their support for the Al Fresco program, which they say brings in revenues for small businesses and the city while allowing residents to get the services they need.
“Al Fresco is currently one of the only lifelines our industry has to survive during these unprecedented times,” Eddie Navarrette, chair of the Independent Hospitality Coalition, wrote in an October 2021 letter to the council. “As independent small businesses, we don’t have access to financing and funding for support like other large businesses have the ability to do, and we rely on … this Al Fresco program.”
The Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council said in a January 2021 letter to the council that a permanent Al Fresco program not only preserved jobs and livelihoods for their community but also ensured the use of public space by businesses is safe and regulated.
“In addition to creating a space for residents to safely patronize small business while maintaining social distancing and complying with recommended safety protocols, the Al Fresco program has demonstrated the potential to increase … the cultural value of communities all the while empowering local businesses to envision new ways to operate,” the letter read.
As for the parking spaces that will be taken up by outdoor dining, the council also instructed the departments of City Planning and Building and Safety to report back on strategies for managing public parking in high-demand areas by June 22, 2022.
