City updates “Dine Out Lancaster” program

LANCASTER – The Lancaster City Council on Tuesday approved an updated “Dine Out Lancaster” outdoor dining program, making it easier for Lancaster restaurants to implement outdoor dining and comply with COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

The revised Dine Out Lancaster program grants permission for all Lancaster restaurants seeking to implement outdoor dining on private property to do so without a permit from the city. Restaurants seeking to implement outdoor dining on public property (such as sidewalks or “parklets”) can now apply for a free Dine Out Lancaster permit, which will also serve as an encroachment permit, and can expect to have the permit issued within one business day.

“I’m proud that as a city we are finding new ways to help small businesses, like restaurants, operate as best they can while taking the proper precautions,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris.

City staff previously activated the Dine Out Lancaster permitting process on July 2 on an urgency basis to respond to restaurants’ immediate needs, following the governor’s re-closure of indoor dining rooms on July 1. Under the initial, urgent process, permits were required for all restaurants to implement outdoor dining.

The city of Lancaster also implemented a Stand Strong Reopening Assistance Program on May 26. The Stand Strong Reopening Assistance Program is designed to lessen the costs of reopening for small businesses, save business owners time and effort sourcing hard-to-find supplies, and keep community members safe.

For more information on the Dine Out Lancaster program, including links for submitting permit applications for public property, visit the Dine Out Lancaster webpage here.

[Information via news release from the city of Lancaster.]

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