EntertainmentThings To Do

Actions

Arizona to give restaurants $1 million more to expand outdoor dining

The Brickyard Outdoor Patio (handout)
Posted at 10:03 AM, Jan 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-26 18:31:53-05

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday that an additional $1 million would be funded to help restaurants build and furnish outdoor patios, an effort to help restaurants seat more people as indoor dining remains reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The additional money would be used for pending applications to the "Safest Outside Restaurant Assistance Program," the Governor's Office said in a news release.

Under that program, small, locally-owned restaurants with fewer than 50 employees can request up to $10,000 from the state to help with tables and chairs, outdoor furniture, patio heaters, barriers, and covers. Restaurants can apply, here.

So far, the state has provided $4 million to the program.

Bars have had to transition to restaurants and, along with restaurants, have had to reduce their dining capacities to at least 50%, part of the state's efforts to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Several cities and towns in Arizona, including Chandler, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe, have allowed restaurants to expand their patios to increase their capacities.