The City of Eugene is extending an outdoor café seating program for another six months to help restaurants stay in business during the pandemic while complying with physical distancing requirements.
Restaurants can expand their serving areas onto sidewalks and on-street parking spaces with a free, temporary “Streatery” permit, which allows café seating in the public right of way. The City already had a permitting procedure to allow café seating on sidewalks, but the temporary program simplified the process, eliminated a fee, and made it possible to spread beyond the sidewalk.
Eugene restaurateurs have responded enthusiastically to the new, temporary program, with two dozen restaurants and brewpubs in downtown and elsewhere receiving permits for outdoor seating.
The City created the temporary program earlier this year to help restaurants operate under the State of Oregon’s COVID-19 guidelines. The permits for the initial program expire on Oct. 31, but City Manager Sarah Medary has signed a new administrative order that extends the program until April 29, 2021. Businesses will need to fill out a new application for the extension of the program.
The Streatery permit has “allowed us to continue our business during the pandemic and keep our 30-plus staff employed,” said Troy Potter, the owner of The Bier Stein.
“Eugene restaurants are hubs of jobs and joy,” says Eugene City Manager Sarah Medary. “The City is happy to support them in finding ways to creatively serve their customers using the public right-of-way. I’m grateful for their perseverance during this unprecedented and prolonged challenge of COVID-19.”
See a map of all businesses participating in the Streatery Permit program.
Learn more about the Streatery Program.