COLUMBUS, Ind. — Restaurants on Fourth Street’s west block will keep their extra weekend outdoor seating through the end of the year, even as the weather gets chillier.
The Columbus Board of Works approved a request Tuesday from Tyler Hodge, co-owner of Lucabe Coffee, for restaurants to be able to continue closing the street from 4 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays in order to allow for additional outdoor seating for customers.
In June, a group of downtown restaurants, including Hodge’s shop, requested to be able to close the Fourth Street on weekend nights through Oct. 31. In its approval of Hodge’s recent request, the city extended that end date to the end of 2020.
Outdoor seating has been a saving grace to many restaurants during the pandemic, as indoor seating has been limited by both social distancing protocols and some customers’ unease with sitting inside.
Hodge said that having the request approved by the city was “encouraging.”
“This weekend is supposed to be lovely,” he said, “and so we are hopeful to provide another opportunity for people to get out and enjoy, especially for the Wine Walk.”
From 4 to 8 p.m. today, Columbus’ Downtown Association and member businesses a sponsoring a Fall Wine Walk, with locations featuring specials, as well as free beverages and snacks at most establishments.
The event was the kick-off for the Chamber of Commerce’s “Think Local” campaign, which encourages residents to shop at local businesses.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
