Racine To Allow Sidewalk Cafes; Waive Fees

RACINE, WI – City officials in Racine issued an order Friday waiving the fees for sidewalk café licenses and allowing them citywide.

“Many City residents are not yet comfortable entering restaurants for meals but would feel more comfortable eating meals at their favorite establishments if more outdoor seating were available," Racine Public Health Administrator, Dottie-Kay Bowersox said in a statement. "Outdoor seating, as long as it is sanitized properly and adheres to physical distancing guidelines, is a great option for restaurants especially as we get into warmer weather."

Restaurants must complete the sidewalk café application and return it to the City Clerk’s Office. Applications can be acquired by contacting clerks@cityofracine.org.

City officials said there is a difference between sidewalk cafés on a business’ private property or sidewalk cafés that will use public sidewalks.

“I want to thank Alderman Jeff Coe and other local restaurants that reached out asking for options. This will help restaurants have some additional seating capacity while keeping people outside and physically distant. As weather warms up, we know more people will want to be outside, but because coronavirus hasn’t gone away, we need to still be smart and this is one safer way to eat at restaurants,” Racine Mayor Cory Mason said in a statement on Friday.