Conway makes this choice permanent to keep restaurants full during the COVID-19 pandemic
In the spring of 2020, when new cases of COVID-19 began surpassing the 1,000 mark each week and S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster began ordering restrictions on businesses and daily life, restaurants like the Trestle Cafe & Bakery in downtown Conway were caught in the crossfire.
The cafe, usually bustling with loyal customers, was suddenly empty, and later only able to be half full, general manager Terry Bedell said.
City officials said they knew local businesses were hurting, and stepped in.
An executive order signed by Conway Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy in May allowed businesses like the Trestle to utilize sidewalks and other public spaces for shopping a dining, a move that has remained in place since and reinvigorated downtown.
“After the first week, it took off. All spring, all summer, all fall. Even during the Christmas parade we had tables all full,” said Bedell about how the outdoor dining and shopping order benefited her business.
Now, Conway has made that practice permanent.
Legislation makes outdoor dining permanent
Legislation passed unanimously by the Conway City Council on Tuesday night outlines permanent rules that will allow restaurants and similar businesses within certain areas to utilize public space to operate their business outside, be it a sidewalk, a few parking spaces or publicly-owned side lot or alleyway. Businesses will have to obtain approval from the city planning department, Conway spokesperson June Wood said, but will be able to place tables and chairs on sidewalks and in up to two parking spaces in front of the business.
Under the new ordinance, a restaurant must preserve some right-of-way so people can safely move past the business, and garbage cans must be in place to keep rubbish off of the sidewalks and streets. Potted plants are also permitted in the sidewalk cafes, which must be marked off.
If a restaurant has a license, alcohol sales will also be allowed in the outdoor portions of the establishment, according to the ordinance.
With prior approval from the city, restaurants will be able to place umbrellas over tables for hot or rainy weather, as well as heaters near tables in cold weather, under the ordinance.
That all means that the restaurants, delis and cafes that line Conway’s downtown can now place socially-distanced tables and chairs, shaded by umbrellas, along the sidewalks, use two parking spaces in front for easy pick-up and to-go orders, and use other public spaces for additional seating.
A restaurant can also apply with the city to use public space, like an alley or parking lot, for its business under the ordinance. Bedell said the Trestle, for example, cleaned up part of the alley behind its building, decorated with flowers and music, and used the space for outdoor dining during the summer. Business ended up being so good during the warm months, Bedell said, that the restaurant brought on an additional waitress to serve the outdoor customers.
Making the sidewalk cafe practice permanent brings Conway in line with major cities in the region, like Charleston and Wilmington, North Carolina, and those around the country, like New York City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Locally, restaurants in Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet and elsewhere offer outdoor dining but not on sidewalks or in other public spaces.
As outdoor dining under the city’s previous order waned due to cold weather, Wood said the city wanted to move quickly to allow sidewalk and public-space cafes permanent, ahead of warm weather in the spring. The aim of the ordinance was to keep Conway’s businesses alive and open, she said.
“Being able to have our small restaurants survive through COVID times, that was the first real push,” she said. “We can’t wait for spring to come when people can get back outside.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 2:10 PM.