SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- California is expected to fully reopen its economy on June 15, but some San Diego restaurant owners said it will be tough to play catch-up financially, and they’re hoping outdoor dining permits can be extended within the county.
County Supervisor Jim Desmond said he supports an extension of the current outdoor dining permit. In his weekly video update, he spoke about his efforts to keep outdoor dining an option for all restaurants, specifically noting the investments local restaurants have made in giving themselves an opportunity to conduct business outside.
Johan Engman, the CEO of Rise and Shine Hospitality and owner of several San Diego restaurants, said, “Without those patios, we could be dead in the water, that was tremendously helpful.”
Like many business owners, Engman said it’s been tough keeping up with all of the restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, especially the limited capacity indoors.
Even though the state is expected to fully reopen in a few weeks, Engman said he believes it’s essential they keep their outdoor dining options.
“Just because it opens up, it doesn’t mean right away everyone wants to gather in large groups indoors,” he said. “You obviously don’t want a rinky-dink temporary patio forever. If it’s something that could be permanent, I could only speak for myself. But a little more investment to make it look nicer and obviously safe and up to code would be perfectly fine with me.”
On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council plans to vote on an extension for city businesses to continue operating outdoors, including dining.
The extension, if approved, would run through July 13, 2022.
Desmond has said he planned to bring up the topic of an outdoor dining extension to the board this week.
