NEWBERRY – With Governor Henry McMaster’s latest announcement on the expiration of the ‘at home or at work’ order and some lifted restrictions restaurants, the City of Newberry plans to assist downtown bars, restaurants, eateries and coffee houses with options for incorporating outdoor dining for the community.
Mary Alex Kopp, tourism and events manager for the city said while many downtown restaurants are landlocked by public sidewalks and parking areas, making outdoor dining difficult, the city reached out to them following McMaster’s announcement to offer tailored advice to assist their business.
“Each one of our restaurants and bars are taking a bit of a different approach and doing what works best for them,” she said.
For example, the city is working with Cabana Café to remove city-owned benches in front of their storefront and temporarily allowing the restaurant to bring some of their interior tables outdoors and have entertained the idea of street closures to help accommodate economic activity. While they will still encourage patrons to participate in their curbside pickup, Kopp said this allows the restaurant another option for patrons to sit outside to enjoy their meal.
City parks are now open at minimal capacity, Kopp said, which offers another option for residents wanting to eat outdoors with their family.
While outdoor dining was previously not as prevalent in Newberry, Kopp said she hopes this will carry over into the future. The city has rules for the downtown district, specifically on how they can implement outdoor dining — Kopp said she and other city staff members are happy to help them navigate this guidance following the end of outdoor only dining in South Carolina, if they reach out.
Kopp encourages those interested in outdoor dining in the downtown district to check with individual restaurants and eateries on their options for service.
COVID-19 Resources:
As a liaison to the downtown district, Kopp communicates with downtown business owners via a quarterly mailed newsletter. During this time, she has used the newsletter as a resource, advising the downtown district on what they could do to help their business focus more on a digital marketplace.
“Many businesses that have been able to move and sell online during this time, have been able to continue to make some revenue,” she said. “We felt it was really important to share with the downtown community how they could move as much of their business online as possible.”
In addition to the newsletter, city staff put together a Coronavirus Resource page available to the community on the city’s website, www.cityofnewberry.com. This webpage includes information for community members and businesses alike to use during this time from healthy and safety information, to grants and re-opening guidance.
“I’m glad and proud to know that we have a plethora of free resources that just about anyone can use thanks to information shared with us from other downtowns in South Carolina,” Kopp said. “We have kept an open line of communication with other towns and shared strategies and ideas for how to best assist these special districts.”
Included on this resource page is an infographic, Kopp said that contains information on moving a business towards the digital platform.
While a business’ physical storefront may be closed, Kopp urges businesses to keep the conversation on their “digital storefront” going by keeping the lines of communication open with customers whether by social media, email or other forms of communication.
For those that want to be a part of Kopp’s downtown email list, she asks they reach out to her directly at the Parks, Recreation and Tourism office at 803-321-1015.
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