The importance of outdoor dining
More cafe tables on the footpath are being approved by the Auckland Council as it tries to help eateries cope with Covid restrictions.
Hospitality businesses have been hit with Covid-19 trading restrictions including capacity limits and social distancing requirements.
The council has fast-tracked applications for food-only outdoor dining, provided a temporary waiver of outdoor dining fees and worked with city centre business associations to enhance outdoor dining capacity.
An outdoor dining grant scheme has so far supported more than 30 businesses to add new or enhance their outdoor dining spaces with new outdoor equipment, including street furniture, shade umbrellas, outdoor heaters and planters.
The scheme has meant more alfresco dining spaces have popped up in the city centre, helped by this initiative between the council and Heart of the City, funded through the city centretargeted rate.
Councillor Richard Hills says outdoor dining is vitally important for Auckland’s economic recovery and the vibrancy of the city centre.
‘‘Currently, the safest place to dine and socialise is outside, so it’s great to see businesses taking up this opportunity. The current outbreak could last months, so we see these measures helping communities support local businesses safely,’’ Hills says.
‘‘I would encourage more businesses to apply to use onstreet car parks or other outdoor spaces to enable safe dining experiences.
‘‘Our staff have said the wellput-together applications for dining and liquor licence extensions are being processed in under a month,’’ he says.
With more Aucklanders able to dine outdoors, businesses owners who have been involved are positive about the benefits.
‘‘The new outdoor tables have been a big hit with our customers – they have been pretty much constantly full since we put them out,’’ Jonny McKessar, of Scratch Bakers, says. ‘‘Customers seem to be enjoying being outdoors under the sun umbrellas. The tables also have been great at drawing people into the cafe as they drive past and see a busy outdoor area.’’
In the Karangahape Road Business Association catchment, where outdoor dining was already well established along the upgraded street, the council has provided funding to connect hospitality businesses with local artists, creating collaborative art installations to add interest and vibrancy for people dining and shopping in the street.
Wynyard Quarter and The Viaduct have long been an illustration of Aucklanders and visitors displaying a growing appetite for dining in pedestrianprioritised waterfront spaces.
Last year, widened footpaths in Auckland’s new street layouts along Quay St, Galway St, Karangahape Rd and Te Komititanga – where Britomart Transport Centre and Commercial Bay meet the new square – have further enabled outdoor dining.
Good Group Hospitality chief manager of operations Hamish Klein is happy with the outcome of the new outdoor dining space on the new and improved Quay St.
‘‘We really appreciate the fact that more outdoor dining has been enabled and we’re proud to be able to provide space for customers looking for a safer outdoor option and help attract people back into the city.
‘‘Having an outdoor dining area in the newly upgraded Quay Street is also great exposure for Botswana Butchery – it’s like a billboard facing out to the street and city.’’