Shiloh Street In Mt. Washington Embracing Street Dining This Weekend
MT. WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- Even in the "green" phase, restaurants, bars and stores are still working with limited capacities.
Pittsburgh's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure has been working with local businesses to figure out how to get back to normal while adhering to safety and health guidelines.
"For most restaurants and food services, they're operating at very small margins," said Karina Ricks, director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure.
Shiloh Street in Mt. Washington is now embracing street dining this weekend. The street will be open to seating through Sunday.
Bars and restaurants on the street are thrilled the city gave them the go-ahead to utilize the street for eating and drinking.
"That gives me pretty much near capacity that I should have for outdoor seating," said Len Semplice, owner of Redbeard's Sports Bar and Grill.
The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure assembled a committee on how to support business and community health during the coronavirus pandemic.
Street dining was among the ideas.
The street must still be able to service pickup, parking, sidewalk and distancing needs. The state Liquor Control Board also approved alcohol sales in the streets for the time being.
"We most definitely will loose probably one-third of our restaurants and that can go even higher unless we are able to support innovative solutions like this," Ricks told KDKA.
Street dining also happened in Oakland on Oakland Avenue and 6th Street in downtown Pittsburgh on Friday night.
The city says street dining will be expanding. They're now looking at Brookline, Hazelwood and Homewood as the next sites.
