Lupine Plaza outdoor dining area in Palm Desert to reopen Monday
More local restaurants were reopened Tuesday for outdoor dining, with Riverside County now back in the purple tier for the first time since the holidays.
"I am so excited. I've been waiting for this day forever." said Dane Hawes "We need to support the local businesses and that's what we're doing tonight. I brought new people here and we're just having a good time."
People dined at Fresh Agave in Palm desert, one of the businesses participating in Lupine Plaza, which has set empty for more than a month.
It's the pandemic component of Palm Desert's restaurant and retail district just off El Paseo, closing one block of Lupine Lane to provide a safe and Covid-compliant al fresco dining experience.
Felix Murry and Keyva King own a dispensary adjacent to Lupine Plaza. They said they're looking forward to getting the area full of people again.
"It brings the reality back to the city," King said. "My store's right there so people get the munchies and they come sit here. It actually brings more tourists in the area so they're able to visit and then eat."
She said they're grateful to have customers out and about.
"You don't want to take out food and then go home and eat," King said. "Uou should be able to eat outdoors and then continue shopping."
"Every business that can open, every place that can open, I'll support all of it," Hawes said.
The city of Palm Desert said Lupine Lane will reopen Monday morning with a slightly reconfigured layout that's meant to improve parking access to surrounding businesses while maintaining the spacious dining footprint.
