Customers dining at Palm Springs restaurants could be allowed alcoholic drinks on sidewalks

Customers who dine at Palm Springs restaurants could soon be allowed to drink alcoholic beverages on sidewalks and in parking lots.

Those are just some of the changes anticipated once customers are allowed to dine in once again.  

Restaurants in Palms Springs are set to look different when serving customers as the state moves to the next stage of reopening. 

“This is a way to allow more business to open safely with enough customers so that they are making money not losing money while being open," said Mayor Geoff Kors.

The City of Palm Springs is looking to allow restaurants the ability to serve alcoholic beverages to extended indoor areas and outdoor areas that include the sidewalk, the street, and parking lots.

"I am very pro-this," said Jack Srebnik, Co-owner of Maracas. "I hope this comes through because I think it will help a lot of the restaurants to start rebuilding and getting back. So we can get back to the customers and more importantly our employees.” 

Co-owner of the Maracas restaurant, Jack Srebnik said before the pandemic his customers would sit outside. So the city’s plans to add more outdoor area would only help his business. 

“Would we get back to numbers that justify being open? Yes," said Srebnik.

According to Mayor Kors, the plans right now are to close some streets and use the outdoor space to increase available spacing between tables.

“We just did some mapping out to show the state what it would look like," said Mayor Kors. "We showed part of Palm Canyon, we showed Arenas, we showed one of the shopping centers that has a cluster of restaurants at Smoketree, where there are some parking spots that could be available but when it’s private property that’s going to be up to private property owner and those businesses.”

Restaurants with the proper license can apply for the temporary coronavirus catering authorization that will allow sale and consumption of alcohol on areas adjacent to their property.

One visitor is a little skeptical about the plan. 

“Temporarily you could put up with almost anything as a permit solution i doubt it," said Karl Christopher. "I don’t think it would work, you block off the sidewalk...no.” 

The Palm Springs City council is expected to review the details of the plan at their meeting May 21st.