CLERMONT, Fla. — More and more restaurants are adding outdoor dining as social distancing rules limit the number of people who can eat inside.
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Officials from the city of Clermont are offering free permits for outdoor seating for the month of May as a way to help restaurant owners.
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Texas Roadhouse is one of many restaurant chains that can benefit from adding outdoor dining. The restaurant recently purchased 20 new picnic tables to draw in more customers.
Business owner Paul Russell says, “If a guest would like to sit outside, they're more than welcome to. It'll cut their wait time significantly because obviously we'll have more tables outside than inside.”
City officials say a restaurant the size of Texas Roadhouse will save about $130 in permitting fees for outdoor dining. They said the city anticipates that indoor seating capacity will expand in the second and third phases of the state's reopening plan, so if the extra outdoor seating is still needed beyond May, officials will "work with the business and reevaluate."
CLARIFICATION: The story was amended Monday, May 11, 2020 to clarify that the city of Clermont offered free permits for the month of May in anticipation of expanded indoor capacity beyond that.
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