SCRANTON, Pa. — Last summer, many restaurants in Scranton took advantage of the city, allowing outdoor dining to help pay the bills when indoor dining wasn't an option.
Tuesday night, Scranton City Council approved outdoor dining to continue through the end of the year, and restaurant owners are pleased to hear it.
"A lot of people ask for it, so when they did pass it, we're really excited, and our customers love it. We're usually filled up all day long, so it's great. We love that," said Renato Luongo at Abe's Deli.
Despite easing of restrictions, there is still a lack of tables inside Pizza by Pappas on North Washington Avenue. Owner Bill Sheakoski says there are still some people hesitant to eat inside.
"I'm still surprised by how many people aren't coming in to eat, and they're still getting a lot of takeout. Even on colder days, I've noticed people still sitting outside," Sheakoski said.
Some restaurants did away with outdoor dining during the winter months and chose not to bring it back because indoor dining is back at full capacity. Sheakoski says they could add extra seating outside but may not do much more for that same reason.
"Now with the indoor, it's like slowly creeping in a little bit indoor, but still very popular outside."
Luongo says he hopes more restaurants will decide to add outdoor seating because of the welcoming aesthetic it adds to the city.
"We all should be partners in this, you know, to make the city better and try to try to grow it, and I think it'll be great, and if everybody continues this, it only could grow."
Restaurants that want to add outdoor dining have to apply for the permit, but the city is waiving the fee for the rest of the year.
The legislation adopted Tuesday maintains the pandemic permits for the rest of the year and doesn't require special permit application fees through the end of this year.