One of the few positive things to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic was the expansion of restaurant tables to public sidewalks.
Under an emergency order by then-Mayor Kirk Caldwell, restaurants struggling with fewer customers due to social distancing requirements were allowed to get permits to add tables outside.
The order expired, but there’s hope for the idea yet.
Bill 27, passed unanimously by the City Council last week, would allow one-year permits for restaurants that want to offer dining on sidewalks directly in front of their establishments. Mayor Rick Blangiardi should sign it.
Among other things, the bill would:
>> Allow participating restaurants to serve alcohol if they have a valid liquor license.
>> Require dining furniture to be removed between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., and whenever the city needs to clean the sidewalks.
>> Require at least 36 inches of walkable space at all times, with additional space for bus stops, fire hydrants, vehicle ramps, driveways and intersections.
>> In addition to sidewalk dining, parklets — those quasi-permanent dining structures that take up street parking — could be included if appropriate.
>> Restaurants would pay a $50 application fee.
The program would run for two years, but if successful, we hope it could become a regular feature of Honolulu’s dining scene.
This would reflect what’s been happening nationally. Spurred by public demand and lobbying by restaurant owners, other cities, including San Francisco and New York, have moved to enact rules to sustain outdoor dining permanently.
Naturally, there has been some pushback. Complaints about noise, sidewalk accessibility and, in the case of parklets, a loss of public parking spaces, are common. But there are intrinsic public benefits.
Restaurants on Oahu have an outsized impact on the local economy. Pre-COVID, Oahu restaurants were the No. 1 private employer on Oahu, according to the Hawaii Restaurant Association. Extending the outdoor dining program could help small restaurants thrive — or survive — by adding just a few tables.
There’s also COVID-19, the reason for the original program. The pandemic has not ended, even if the mandates have. Dining outdoors can still be safer than indoors.
Finally, creating a vibrant street life, with people walking, biking and exploring instead of zooming by in their cars, can have lasting positive effects in our neighborhoods — just as it has in other cities around the world.
