This Season: Sidewalk cafes get busy with warmer weather

IOWA CITY — With another winter quickly fading into memory, Iowans are ready to spend as much time outdoors as they can.

That includes grabbing a bite to eat or a cold drink at one of Iowa City's many outdoor patios.

Leah Cohen, owner of Bo-James, said she has opened up the outdoor patio at her 118 E. Washington St. restaurant and bar a few times already this year.

Temperatures this week have been in the upper 60s, and Cohen said the patio, which can seat around 50 people, was packed.

'We tend to open it right away when those nice days come around,' Cohen said. 'After winter is over, everyone is thinking, 'Get me outside.''

This past Monday, staff with Mondo's Saloon, 112 E. College St., also dusted off their patio equipment and reopened the outdoor dining area on the Pedestrian Mall.

'It's like that first weekend, everybody wants to sit outside, we have an amazing amount of people who come down here for dinner and beverages,' Deppe said.

It's a trend that's been growing.

In 2010, Iowa City had 18 active sidewalk cafe permits, which are renewed every year, according to city records dating back to 2000, when the first anchored fencing was installed for the outdoor area at Quinton's Bar and Deli on Washington Street.

In just five years, the number of active permits more than doubled, to 37, in 2015. In 2014 and 2015 alone, the a dozen businesses added sidewalk cafes.

'It's one of those things where people got a taste of it and then they wanted more,' Deppe said.

Iowa City's sidewalk cafes vary in size and look, with most catered to what's available outside a particular bar or restaurant.

Mondo's Saloon, which seats around 40 people, is located up on a platform on prime Pedestrian Mall real estate with ample sunlight and passers-by. Micky's Irish Pub rents out two parking spots on Dubuque Street to provide added off-sidewalk space for its outdoor dining area.

The outdoor dining area can become as important as the food or drinks when customers pick a spot.

'As far as popularity, patios, across the board, are getting a lot more attention,' Deppe said. 'People love to sit out there and people watch.'

This year will provide some logistical challenges for some sidewalk cafes on Washington Street, as a stretch of the avenue undergoes a major overhaul as part of the city's Streetscapes Plan. That project will close down a few blocks of the street for utility work and restructuring of the roadway and sidewalks.

Kim Sandberg, program assistant with the Iowa City Public Works department, said the plan is to have businesses close their sidewalk cafes when construction work nears to minimize the effect on businesses and allow work to commence.

Sandberg said the city will waive the annual fee and provide compensation for businesses affected by closures.