Is Sacramento outdoor dining here to stay? City Council to hear ‘Al Fresco’ proposal

Sacramento residents received little to no warning when Capitol Avenue restaurants began to strip their large tents in March to comply with the impending close of the city’s more than two-year outdoor dining program.

Now, with the temporary program set to expire on June 30, city staff will take a permanent proposal, Al Fresco Dining Program, to City Council Tuesday evening.

If adopted, Sacramento’s current program will be extended through 2023 to “allow time for the steps outlined in the transition schedule,” said spokeswoman Gabby Miller with the Sacramento City Manager’s Office in an email to The Bee.

The new, permanent program would be partially funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and “patio operators” will be charged a monthly fee starting next year, according to a June City Council report titled “Establish Al Fresco Dining Program.”

The document notes the plan will make it simple for businesses to assemble program code-compliant, durable outdoor seating with pedestrian safety in mind.

City officials allowed restaurants to set up tables on sidewalks outside of their restaurants starting in May 2020 to promote social distancing and it quickly became the Sacramento dining scene’s “gravy maker.” Now the future of the area’s outdoor dining scene lays on the City Council’s lap.

A lot of money goes into building and maintaining a parklet including graffiti abatement, scratch and damage removal, concrete power washing, leaf blowing and range of other improvements. It’s worth it, though, said Seann Rooney, who represents local businesses in the Handle District..

And while it’s unclear if restaurants will like building the extra space and paying for it, “most people really value the outdoor patio space in Sacramento,” said Rooney, executive director for the district. “Our outdoor patio seating really saved us over the last couple of years, customers tell us time and again that they love it.”

The City Council will hold a virtual meeting open to public at 5 p.m. meeting on Tuesday. Al Fresco dining is on the agenda for discussion.

This story was originally published June 21, 2022 at 11:49 AM.